Maize not the only target for FAW

Despite reassurances from the

Department of Agriculture,

Forestry and Fisheries (Daff)

that the Fall Army Worm

(FAW) outbreak is contained

for now, Agri SA has warned

that it is not only maize that is

under threat.

President of the industry

lobby group Johannes Möller

said that although this pest

attacked mostly maize plants,

it occasionally attacked cotton,

wheat, sorghum, soybeans,

potatoes and groundnuts.

He cautioned that since the

pest was basically foreign to

Africa, very little was known

of its long-term effects. “It

may become a migratory pest

similarly to the African Army

Worm and may migrate in

large numbers from one area to

another, causing great damage,”

said Möller.

He pointed out that that

after the “devastating” 2016

drought, a further financial

blow that could result from

FAW should be avoided at

all costs, noting that it was

therefore important to check all

potentially affected agricultural

crops for damage and the

presence of the invasive species.

Senior agricultural

economist at FNB Business,

Paul Makube, agreed adding

that there would be an

immediate cost to affected

producers who needed to

source registered and effective

pesticides to fight the scourge.

“Producers who experience

another lost crop could find

themselves in the red and it

could take years for them to

fully recover.”

He added that it was still

too early to determine the full

impact on the price of maize –

and other agricultural products

– and broader market factors.