| Event: | IN Insect Infestation |
| Number: | 2018-000432 |
| Country: | IND India |
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| Date (YMD): | 2018-7-18 |
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| Information Source: | FAO |
| Comments: | The Fall Armyworm (FAW) or Spodoptera frugiperda has been reported in all major maize growing areas in Sri Lanka and is also affecting sugarcane cultivation. There is a growing concern that it may affect other crops, including rice. Native to the Americas, FAW was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and quickly spread across virtually all of Sub-Saharan Africa. In July 2018, it was confirmed in India in Karnataka state and since then it has been found in seven other States including in Tamil Nadu. (FAO, 24 Jan 2019)
By January of this year, it had spread to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and China's Yunnan Province. In the case of Sri Lanka, there were reports that up to 40 000 hectares had been infested, damaging some 20 percent of its crops. China is the biggest maize producer in Asia, and second largest producer globally. While economic losses there and in the other Asian countries have not yet been tallied, estimates of economic damage from FAW in Africa ranged from US$ 1-3 billion. In response to the sudden onset of FAW in Asia, FAO is convening a meeting of officials from the affected countries, as well as experts who've been tackling the fallout of FAW in Africa and Latin America - and who have been learning ways to limit the damage. (FAO, 20 Mar 2019) |
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THIS DISASTER ON THE INTERNET:
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