According to an official, fall armyworms have damaged at least 460 crops in Mundri West County of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State.
Jaffrey Nelson, the County’s Director of Agriculture, revealed that crop-eating caterpillars known as autumn armyworms first emerged in the area last month.
He said that the insect invasion has adversely impacted all four payams in the county.
“The bugs wreaked havoc on crops sown in April and May. The insects arrived at the commencement of the rains, just as people began planting for the first season “Nelson said.
He continues, “Pests abound and have infested fields and ruined harvests. Caterpillar pests have mostly harmed crops such as maize and sorghum. According to the information I obtained, insects have invaded all four payams of Mundri West County, affecting around 465 home farms.”
Nelson pleaded for help since the residents of the area are only farmers who depend on their crops for survival.
He said that immediate action is required to rescue the farms.
The larva of the night-flying moth, the fall armyworm, is a pest native to the Americas. It was discovered for the first time in Africa in early 2016.
