American armyworm attack maize crop in Jhapa

JHAPA, March 1: The American armyworm, also called the fall armyworm, has attacked the maize crop at some places in the Jhapa district.

The insects are seen at some places in Bahradashi, Arjundhara and Bhadrapur, said Ganesh Shivakoti, agriculture extension officer at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Jhapa. "The attack is not on a big scale so as to cause massive damage to the crop," he said, adding that necessary insecticide has been sprayed at the sites where the fall armyworms have been detected. 

The Agriculture Knowledge Centre has urged maize farmers to be aware that the fall armyworm's lifecycle becomes more active when there are sunny days after rainfall.

Meanwhile, the Province number 1 government has provided Rs 4.5 million in grants for the promotion of maize farming in the Jhapa district. Shivakoti said that the grant is provided for a total of 300 hectares at the rate of Rs 15,000 per hectare to scale up maize yield.