SA farmers prepare to battle armyworm invasion
Grain SA awaits confirmation of a fall armyworm outbreak in three provinces, and is in talks with major chemical suppliers
South African farmers are preparing to battle a possible alien armyworm invasion after reports of the maize-destroying caterpillars in three provinces, a farmers’ organisation says. Grain SA expects to receive confirmation from the government by the end of the week to verify whether samples collected in the Limpopo, North West and Free State provinces are fall armyworms, Marinda Visser, a manager at its research and policy centre, said by phone on Monday. In the meantime, farmers are preparing their defences and SA will probably be more effective at controlling the pest than others in the region, she said.
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