09
Apr
African armyworm outbreak pose threat to KZN cattle farmers (Farmer’s Weekly)
If it spreads further afield, the African armyworm [Spodoptera exempta (Walker)] outbreak in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Nkandla and Msinga areas could be the final nail in the coffin for many livestock farmers in the province.
The outbreak came hot on the heels of one of the worst droughts in living memory, the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic.
Thube Zondi, provincial secretary of the KZN chapter of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA), told Farmer’s Weekly that the province’s livestock farmers, especially those farming on a smaller-scale and on communal lands, desperately needed material and financial assistance from government and other role players.
