Emergency UN meeting in Harare over armyworm outbreak

A crop-eating armyworm is seen on a sorghum plant at a farm in Settlers, northern province of Limpopo on February 8, 2017. -Reuters

HARARE: International experts hold emergency talks in Harare on Tuesday to tackle an outbreak of crop-eating “armyworm” caterpillars advancing across several African countries.

The armyworm has already caused damage to staple crops in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Ghana, with reports also suggesting Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia are affected.