The governor of South Sudan’s Imatong State governor, Tobilio Alberio, said crop harvest this season has been affected by the infestation of armyworms since July.
Alberio told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that sorghum and maize farms have been widely infested by the destructive worms that have reduced the expected harvest.
Governor Alberio said that the armyworms spread across the states’ counties and only attack maize and sorghum crops. He warned that if no solution is found soon, the citizens of the state will face severe hunger next year.
He called on the national ministry of agriculture as well as other agricultural organisations like the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) to help the farmers by providing anti-worm medicine.
The governor revealed that they have sent a notice to the ministry and the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) but are yet to get a response.
The armyworm got its name because the invasive species travels in "armies" and consumes everything in its path.