Zimbabwe to be hit hardest by armyworm outbreak: U.N

Reuters
A crop-eating armyworm is seen on a sorghum plant at a farm in Settlers, northern province of Limpopo, February 8,2017. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe is likely to be the hardest hit country from an outbreak of armyworms that is destroying crops and threatening food security in southern Africa, the United Nations (U.N.) food agency said on Thursday. The U.N's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement up to 130,000 hectares of maize and corn crops could be hit in Zimbabwe, compared to a reported 90,000 hectares in Zambia and 50,000 hectares in Namibia. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Joe Brock)