The government decrees the state of emergency to fight pests in corn crops

Two of the three hectares are affected. Leaky leaves and maggots up to three centimeters are lodged in the ears.

The worm is part of a cocktail of pests that is attacking the Ecuadorian corn and yesterday forced the government to declare the emergency in the sector to combat the phytosanitary problem.

Guayas, Los Ríos, and Santa Elena are the affected provinces, and the Santa Ana, Chone and Paján counties, in Manabí.

After analysis, the Ministry of Agriculture has detected not only the presence of the armyworm but also the worm-eaters, the earworm and other problems in maize plantations.

Last Tuesday, President Rafael Correa estimated that some 25,000 hectares were affected by the disease. But Henry Peña, president of the Maize Growers Corporation of Ecuador, believes that of the 230,000 acres planted at the national level, 100,000 would be affected by pests.