The Army Worm (Army worm Spodoptera frugipeda), a caterpillar almost four centimeters in size, got its name for its dirty green color and the habit of attacking fields with long columns up to a kilometer, capable of flying over 100 km in one night. Prefers corn, but can attack 80 crops, including rice and sugarcane.

The pest quickly spread throughout Asia. At the end of last year, it was discovered in South India, and by the end of February it was registered in 10 of the 29 states of the country.

Further his victims were the fields of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan. In Taiwan, the pest has been found in more than 50 of the 76 provinces.

In recent months, this pest has been discovered in 18 of 33 provinces and regions of China, and is currently threatening to spread in a key corn region in the north-east of the country.

“This is a serious problem for crops and could pose a threat to food security,” said Fin Siebell, agribusiness economist at the National Australian Bank.

Margeon Fredricks, Agriculture Specialist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said that some countries reported damage to crops affected by the pest, ranging from 1.2% to 10%, while in other countries this indicator is from 20% to 40%.

According to the FAO, this pest, which has been known in America for almost 200 years, was first registered in Africa in 2016 and has since spread throughout the continent.