Context: Recently, Officials of the Directorate of Agriculture said farmers in northeastern Dhemaji district reported armyworm attack on the standing crops. The armyworm caterpillar, the larval stage of several species of moths, has a voracious appetite. Entomologists say it feeds on more than 80 species of plants. 

About Armyworm

• Fall Armyworm (FAW), 'Spodoptera frugiperda', is a dangerous transboundary insect with a high potential to spread rapidly due to its natural distribution capacity.
• It is a resident pest and represents a real threat to food security and livelihoods of millions of small land-holder farmers.
• It is a Lepidopteran pest that feeds in large numbers on leaves and stems of more than 80 plant species, causing major damage to maize, rice, sorghum, sugarcane and other vegetable crops and cotton.
• It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
• It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 (Benin, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo).
• In India, FAW was first reported by entomologists CM Kalleshwara Swamy and Sharanabasappa in Karnataka in June 2018 in the maize research fields at the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga.
• In December 2019, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched the pioneering USD 500 million Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control as an urgent response to the rapid spread of FAW.

Challenges

• The weather is a factor because there are no pre-monsoon rains in Assam yet and the temperature is very high now. The armyworm can cause more damage in the absence of rain.
• Another major issue is reaching out to farmers. All the roads and gaps have been blocked due to the fear of contracting coronavirus.

Other Concerns 

• Officials are afraid of the winter crop cycle getting affected if the lockdown continues beyond 14th April, 2020.
• April-May is the time when paddy farmers in Assam clear weeds and manure the fields for transplanting the seedlings of the winter crop from the nursery. The process takes 35-40 days.
• According to the farm experts, if the cycle is pushed back by more than a month it could impact yield because the sowing and maintenance phase of the crops would be very close to the flood timings of Assam.