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Saturday 18 June 2016

Climate Change Blamed for Outbreak of ‘Army Worms’


17 June 2016

These army worms are destroying a rice­ paddy field in Cambodia. Farmers are facing attacks from millions of worms followed a climate change. (Courtesy photo: Ministry of Agriculture's General Department of Agriculture)


    Neou Vannarin
    VOA Khmer


The worms are attacking crops in at least eight provinces, the government said on Friday.

PHNOM PENH —

Experts have blamed anthropogenic climate change for the recent outbreak of army worms in Cambodia, following the worst drought the country has seen in decades.

The worms are attacking crops in at least eight provinces, the government said on Friday. Army worms are common in Asia, and each year they wreak havoc on crops including corn, lettuce and beans.

Dy Sam An, deputy director of the department of crop protection and production hygiene at the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the latest onset of the pest had begun in June.

The affected provinces were initially named as Preah Vihear, Tbong Khmum, Kampong Cham, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Prey Veng and Stung Treng, with Siem Reap and Kampong Thom provinces later added to the list.

“Until [June] 17th, the outbreak of army worms had spread to 7 or 8 provinces already, and it’s destroying [the crops],” Sam An said. “The General Department of Agriculture is taking action and assigned specialists to every affected province.”



A squirm of army worms are seen destroying a water melon farm in Cambodia. (Courtesy photo: Ministry of Agriculture's General Department of Agriculture).


A squirm of army worms are seen destroying a water melon farm in Cambodia. (Courtesy photo: Ministry of Agriculture's General Department of Agriculture).

​ According to a statement on Wednesday, the ministry blames climate change for causing the recent drought, which in turn led to a worse army worm infestation than usual as the heavy rains that followed the dry spell encouraged their spread.

“Yes, it is because of climate change, which caused highest temperatures this year, and the drought,” Sam An said. “When it is dry and then we get sudden heavy rain, it gives suitable weather for this insect to breed.”

Some 80 percent of Cambodians are said to rely on farming for their livelihoods, according to government data.

Temperatures soared to near record heights over the past few months, leaving rice paddies, streams and ponds bare. Millions of farmers have struggled to find water, while rare and endangered species of animals have died en masse from dehydration.

Cambodian farmers are using fishing net to collect army worms from destroying their rice paddy field. (Courtesy photo: Ministry of Agriculture's General Department of Agriculture)


Cambodian farmers are using fishing net to collect army worms from destroying their rice paddy field. (Courtesy photo: Ministry of Agriculture's General Department of Agriculture)

​ The worms, which destroy crops, do not pose a direct health risk to humans, Sam An added, but the full scope of the damage they have inflicted is not known.

Sam Vitou, executive director for the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), said the worms targeted vegetables that had been sprayed with chemical fertilizers and had been subjected to other intensive cultivation techniques.

“But, I have not seen them in the farms, where farmers use organic fertilizer, compost, or their own home-made fertilizer,” Vitou said.

He also expressed concern over the potentially severe impacts on rice crops in Cambodia if the worms continued to spread.

“If the rain keeps falling like nowadays, I think it will not be affected very much,” he said. “However, it will destroy farmers’ plants and seedlings if the rain stops one or two months from now.”

The agriculture ministry instructed farmers this week to use butterfly traps and dig water channels around fields to avoid the further spread of the worms.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

when all else fails blame it on ''climate change'' and why not! even the economists of wall street are doing it when the expected economic numbers don't meet their growth prediction... Army worms exist for hundred of years and kept in check by its natural predators , such as birds , frogs ,toads etc.. and other insects which feed on them... where are those predators now, probably kill by insecticides/pesticides [ farmers just spray it indiscriminately , killing the good and bad all at once ] or in case of birds and frogs eaten to extinction .. there used to be this variety of tiny frog [ in khmer cow dung frog ] which nobody eat even during the khmer rouge time , now they are all eaten especially by the men who drink sour palm juice...

Anonymous said...



You must be kidding when you said that you would not eat កង្កែបអាចម៍គោ !
During the KR, they were my delicacy over grass hoppers, lizards, snakes, centipedes …
The frog name may sound odd, but they are not born of cow dung!


Anonymous said...

[You must be kidding when you said that you would not eat កង្កែបអាចម៍គោ !]

nope ! not kidding... even the farmers/villagers did not eat them and i was slaving in pursat ... sent there by the khmer rouge to live in small remote village called ''prey sangkum '' ....did not eat grass hoppers, lizard, centipedes or snake either .. although i had eaten field rats and regular big frogs...i stuffed my plate with wild veggies instead ...and occasionally caught small fishes in small puddles.

Anonymous said...

definitely, the "climate change" will also bring about a One World Government. If you can't understand the changes that are updated constantly by the globalists then you are giving to chain that will never break your yoke of slavery. Yes, a climate chain has been in progress to chain all the lessor of people to live like chickens in a poultry farm. No kidding, the devil hates people who has God given rights to freedom opposes to UN given rights that all the NGO's are selling to the masses.

I live in upper northern Wis. I've seen massive army worms a few times in my life. When they strike, trees are stripped bare of foliage. Road surfaces can be treacherous as cars run over millions of worms crossing for the next green pasture. Trees will survive if it has plenty of moister.

Tis month, the Bilderberg group meet somewhere in Germany to decide the fate of our future--not good. That's right, the Bilderberg's group is secretive. Nobody know what are being plan only those in attendant do and their mouths are zipped. These are the globalist that rule the nations through their conspiracy agenda via banking systems, economic, politics and religion....
They lists all the attendees at their website.

With this knowledge, the health of Cambodia is not in the hand of CNRP nor PM Hun Sen...they are only playing the role of the conspirator (which are the Bilderberg group and CFR) directing from UN and Washington DC or EU headquarters.

Anonymous said...



Somebody must be a very good ass-kisser during the KR.




Anonymous said...

[Somebody must be a very good ass-kisser during the KR.]

just because people refused to eat certain undesirable food , does not mean they are good ass-kissers... sometimes death is better than living under such torturous condition..as they say the one who accuses other is USUALLY the guilty one...and you 're definitely that one....

Anonymous said...



When you were starving to death but refused to eat a frog that is hard to believe.
But it depends on how people look at it: Reality vs. Bullshit.


Anonymous said...

Ok, to person who would not eat កង្កែបអាចម៍គោ during the time under KR regime! Would you share us your secret? How did you deal with hunger?