Ethiopia treats 0.62 MHa of maize amid armyworm outbreak.

Ethiopia has treated some 617,056 hectares of maize that would otherwise be ravaged by the fall armyworm. Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, told Xinhua that the fall armyworm, first spotted in Ethiopia in late February, has spread to eight maize harvesting regions of the East African country. Ethiopia has harvested more than 3 MHa of maize since March, of which the fall armyworm was spotted in 646,731 hectares. The ministry said it is able to treat some 617,056 hectares of maize production together with its partners. Ethiopian President said earlier this week that the fall armyworm had an impact in Ethiopia’s agricultural production during the recently concluded Ethiopian 2016-2017 fiscal year. Ethiopia has applied some 239,821 liters of anti-armyworm chemicals on 253,572 hectares of land. The remaining 363,483 hectares was treated through traditional mechanisms, it is indicated. Crops such as maize, soya beans, groundnuts, and potatoes are among over 100 crops that are said to be highly vulnerable to the pest.