Armyworms have severely infested rice fields as cows and buffaloes are suffering from lumpy skin disease in villages of Nga district, Oudomxay Province.
Lumpy skin disease is a viral infection of cattle. Originally found in Africa, it has also spread to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe, according to College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, USA.
Head of the Agriculture and Forestry Office of Nga District Khamchan Sirisouk said that up to 90 per cent of rice farmland in the two villages of Senxay and Huaylieng were damaged by armyworms.
The lumpy skin outbreak is limited to villages located along the Mekong, according to Head of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Nga district Mr Khamchan Silisouk. “The Agriculture and Forestry Office of Nga District has reported the pest infestation and lumpy skin outbreak to the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department and ask the latter for assistance,” said Mr Silisouk.
Source: Lao News Agency
