Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/12 22:27:50
By: Elaine Hou and Emerson Lim

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) Government agencies in Taiwan were placed on high alert on Wednesday after an

invasive caterpillar species called fall armyworm (FAW) was found on several farms in three counties, a Cabinet spokesperson said.

The presence of FAW, which are highly destructive to crops, has been reported on farms in Miaoli, Yilan and Chiayi counties over the past few days, prompting Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) convene an inter-agency meeting on Wednesday to discuss control of the crop-destroying pest, Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said.

At a press briefing, she said the pests were carried on the recent southwesterly winds from China, where some 18 provinces have been battling an invasion of FAW since January.

The caterpillars, which are the larvae of the podoptera frugiperda moth, get their name from the way they advance with military precision to destroy the leaves and stems of plants.    [FULL  STORY]