South African farmers must wage all-out war on crop-destroying fall armyworms. Outbreaks were first reported in west and central Africa at the start of 2016. Then they marched across the equator into Burundi‚ Zambia‚ Zimbabwe and Malawi — and now they have invaded northern parts of SA. The Department of Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries said: "We did receive reports of pest damage which does raise a concern. However the damage over the broader area has not been assessed yet. "The biggest danger is incorrect information on farm management of the pest, which can lead to pesticide resistance and production losses. "Production losses will ultimately lead to food security issues. Smallscale and other resource farmers are especially at risk," said department spokeswoman Bomikazi Molapo. Crop Life South Africa warned that the invaders, which are resistant to some insecticides, could spread mainly in Limpopo‚ the Free State‚ and Western Cape sandveld. Dr Gerhard H Verdoorn‚ director at Gr...
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