The United States government has issued a warning in Kenya over the recent invasion of fall armyworm.
According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) coordinator Regina Eddy, the pest that has invaded parts of Rift Valley has put up to 50 percent of the annual maize crop at risk.
The US on Tuesday expressed concern that the attack may see Kenya and other major maize-producing countries in Africa suffer huge food and financial losses by taking a toll on farmers' incomes.
[caption caption="fall armyworm"]
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Eddy noted that other than attacking maize, the pest is also a threat to the other crops including millet, sorghum, cotton, and sugar.
Emphasizing the magnitude of the threat posed by the pest, the USAID coordinator quoted a Brazilian farmer's remark that "it's like a marriage without a divorce."
She further disclosed that the climate conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa were "ideal" for the rapid spread of the fall armyworm.
"The absence of frost will enable the pest to live throughout the year, multiply quickly and damage crops over a wide area," Eddy warned.
Eddy the impact of the invasion on smallholders' farms is likely to be extremely adverse given that "The first mouth that will be fed will be the fall armyworm's."
A study commissioned by the British government's Department for International Development in 2017 concluded that in 12 African countries (excluding Kenya), total potential losses by the pest could range from $2.5 billion to $6.3 billion.
She further revealed that USAID was considering all technological options including use of genetically modified (GMO) maize seeds that are resistant to fall armyworm's aggression and the use of chemical and organic pesticides.
Her warning came days after a Rift Valley farmer identified as Kibet told off Westlands Member of Parliament (MP) Timothy Wanyonyi who is also the chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture over the government's laxity despite the pest's invasion.
[caption caption="Fall armyworm invasion"]
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Contrary to its name, a fall armyworm is actually the migratory caterpillar of a widely distributed noctuid moth is most active in the US in autumn.
The insect's relentless march leaving a trail of destruction on crops on its "field of battle" earned it the term "armyworm."
