Staggering $600m needed to fight deadly fall armyworm plague

Sub-Saharan Africa will require a staggering $600 million annually to contain a trans-boundary pest, the fall armyworm, that is wreaking havoc across farmlands.

Although the pest has only been in Africa for slightly over a year, having first been reported in Nigeria in January 2016, it has now spread to most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, causing severe crop damage particularly in Southern and East Africa.