Read < 1 minute

Malawi has banned maize exports after crop munching armyworms and drought have left the food crop damaged.

The country is also considering restocking its national grain reserves to ensure there is plenty in store.

In a statement, Agriculture Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha said that nearly 2 million people are at risk of food shortage.

Armyworms are a pest native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

Its larval stage feeds on more than 80 plant species, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.

It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and further reported and confirmed in whole of mainland Southern Africa.