Malawi - Malawi's maize production may rise a third this year, to 3.2 million tons, despite damage inflicted by armyworm, an alien South American pest that has invaded maize fields from Congo to South Africa.
Malawi’s maize crop, the staple grain, was devastated last year by a regional drought triggered by an El Niño weather pattern.
About 6.5million Malawians, more than a third of the population, are dependent on food aid until this year’s harvest in March, according to the UN's World Food Programme.
The armyworm outbreak raised concerns about this year’s harvest in Malawi, already classified as one of the world's poorest nations, but the invasion has been contained, Erica Maganga, secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, said in an interview last week.
Read also: SA to harvest more maize
“A combination of too much rain and the successful pesticide distribution to farmers has helped us to stop the armyworm invasion,” Maganga said.
“The first round of the 2016/17 agriculture production estimates have given us a glimmer of hope, because we are expecting 3.2 million tons this year from 2.4 million the previous season,” she said.
Zimbabwe is likely to be the country hardest hit by the outbreak of armyworm, the UN food agency said earlier this month.