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Crop-eating caterpillars 'worse' than army worms: Liberia
Monrovia (AFP) Feb 3, 2009 Caterpillars laying waste to Liberian crops are not army worms as previously believed but a species which may turn out to be even more destructive, the country's agriculture minister warned Tuesday. "Results indicate that the caterpillars that we are dealing with are not army worms," the minister, Christopher Toe, told journalists. The caterpillars, which have ravaged central Liberian farms in recent weeks, have been identified as the species Achaea Catocaloides by international research institutions and renowned entomologists, the minister added. Experts warned that the insects could even turn out to be more destructive that army worms as they attack more crops including coffee and cocoa. "The destruction of caterpillars we are now confronted with, in my opinion, may be more severe than the army worms because it is attacking a wider range of species (of plants and trees)," said Joseph Subah, the head of the Center for Agricultural Research in Liberia. The caterpillars have already begun devouring crops in neighbouring Guinea. Liberia's other neighbours Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast are concerned that the invasion could come their way. Ivory Coast has extra reason to worry as experts warn that the Achaea Catocaloides also destroys cocoa and coffee plantations, crops that army worms do not attack. Ivory Coast is the world's top cocoa producer and many of its plantations are in the west of the country in a region that borders Liberia. Alan Schroeder, an entomologist from USAID, told journalist that he had seen this species in action before in Benin. "If it is the now the same species as in Benin they (Ivory Coast) will suffer more because this species attacks cocoa plantations," Schroeder said. Abidjan on Tuesday said it had sent a team of experts to Liberia to study the invasion. In Liberia, Subah told journalists that, in all the affected areas, the caterpillars have gone into the pupa stage, from which they emerge as adult moths. No new case of infestation was reported since Monday, he added. "We have a total of 107 towns and villages affected in four counties and there are huge amounts of moths in a new area in the northern county of Nimba," he said. Experts warn the moths could produce a second wave of crop-destroying caterpillars as they start reproducing. It is not known how many eggs the moths can lay but they added that the caterpillar stage lasts about 23 days. "That is a very long period to cause a lot of damage because it is the larvae (caterpillars) that destroys the crops," insect expert Ibrahim Shamie of Sierra Leone said. Liberia has declared a state of emergency and called on the international community to help it deal with the plague, but authorities said Wednesday that they had not received substantial financial help so far. The agriculture minister said Tuesday that he would meet his counterparts from the Mano River Union -- Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast -- in Monrovia on Friday to discuss the insect invasion. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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