Zambia bags USD 500,000 from African Development Bank to combat army worms

Zambia has received a gargantuan amount of USD 500,000 from the African Development Bank to combat army worms. According to Micheal Zondani Katambo, country's agriculture minister, the money will be utilized to procure chemicals for the spray of army worms.

Edgar Lungu-led Zambia is amongst the African nations which are usually threatened by severe climate changes. The army worms have in the last few farming seasons ravaged maize fields in Zambia and other African nations. The crop production was threatened by an outbreak of armyworms during 2016 and 2017 season but the country still somehow managed to 3.6 million tonnes of maize, up from 2.8 million the previous year, after containing the pests, Lusaka Times noted.

Zambia's crop harvest for the 2017 and 2018 season dropped by 33 percent to 2.4 million tonnes from the previous 3.6 million tonnes harvested earlier because the pest was vicious, Martin Fregene, director for agro-industry, African Development Bank said during a media conversation. Outbreaks of the pest attack erupted in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa.