Armyworm threat to China corn crop over for this year – but it will be back
- Pest stops short of crucial northeastern bread basket and goes into hibernation
- Agriculture ministry warns it is now established in the country
The insect did not reach the northeast, China’s most important corn production region and bread basket for the world’s most populous country, but it would be back to threaten next year’s crop, according to Pan Wenbo, director of the ministry’s planting administration.
The fall armyworm can ravage large swathes of crops and had been moving northwards since January. China is the world’s second-largest corn producer and is set to begin its corn harvest early next month, with the market closely watching output amid tightening stocks.
The pest spread to 25 provinces this year and impacted more than one million hectares this year, officials at China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said.
Pan said the armyworm had now settled in China and, after hibernating in the southwest this winter, it would be back to threaten next year’s crop. The government was planning early deployment of prevention and control measures next year, and would build a long-term strategy for controlling the pest, he said.