Kenyan maize farmers raise alarm as armyworms resurface.

Kenyan maize farmers are set to go through another tough year as the fall armyworm strikes the crop again this season. The pest, which was first detected in Kenya in March last year, contributed to decline in maize production, from over 40 million bags production a year to 32 million. Farmers last year spent huge amounts of money fighting the pest with the government stepping in, helping to buy chemicals and spray the plants. While some succeeded in eliminating the pest that first struck in the breadbasket regions of western and Rift Valley before spreading to others in Nyanza, Eastern and central Kenya, others lost their entire crop. Farmers had hoped to put the tough time behind them, but once again, the armyworm has started to attack the crop mainly in the maize producing regions of western and Rift Valley.