Fall armyworms ravage farms in 4 Cagayan Valley provinces

TUGUEGARAO CITY—Fall armyworms destroyed about 93 hectares of rice farms and seedbeds in Cagayan Valley in the past weeks, authorities said.

Mindaflor Aquino, senior science research specialist of the Department of Agriculture in Cagayan Valley, said the pest attacks were reported in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino provinces.

The infestation was reported first in Gonzaga and Enrile towns in Cagayan last month. It then spread to Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya in the past two weeks.

Narciso Edillo, DA Cagayan Valley director, said they have intensified their information drive and technical assistance to control the infestation.

The larvae of the highly destructive pest feed on corn, rice, and other crops.

In March this year, fall armyworms also destroyed 4,000 ha of corn farms in the region.

In 2019, pests destroyed at least 41 ha of corn farms in the Cagayan Valley, mostly in Isabela and Cagayan.

LZB