WINDHOEK, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture Agricuture Water and Forestry said that farmers in the north-east Zambezi region have reported Fall Army Worm (FAW) outbreak in an urgent press statement Friday.
The ministry undertook an assessment missions in the affected areas on the 18th and 19th of this month which confirmed that about 100 hectares of farmland are adversely affected by the worms, the ministry said.
FAW is a pervasive agricultural pest native to South and Central America that ruthlessly worked its way across the African continent, after arriving in West Africa in 2016 and making its way to South of the Sahara and into Namibia during 2016/2017 cropping season.
"The FAW has spread quickly due to its short reproductive cycle and ability to travel long distance quickly during its adult stage," the press statement read.
In Namibia FAW poses a significant threat to small holder crop farmers, mainly maize farms, and has become a threat to food security.
In 2016/17 cropping season approximately 50 000 hectares of maize and millets were estimated to have been damaged by the pest which adversely affected some 27,000 household.
