South Africa confirms presence of invasive armyworm pest that infests maize

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's department of agriculture said on Friday that scientific tests have confirmed the presence of the invasive fall armyworm in the country's maize belt. "This pest is a good flyer and cannot be contained in a specific area. Damage reported in South Africa so far is mainly on yellow maize varieties and especially on sweetcorn as well as maize planted for seed production," the department said in a statement. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Barbara Lewis)