On Wednesday, June 5, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture announced the spread of the autumn army worm in the country, which "seriously threatens agriculture and the safety of grain production in China."

The Autumn Army Worm, a multi-phage pest commonly found throughout North and South America, was first discovered in the southwestern province of Yunnan in early January and has now spread to 18 provinces, districts and municipalities in China, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural areas of China.

The pest was discovered in at least 92,000 hectares of agricultural land in China, mainly in crops and some sugarcane crops.

The Ministry, through its official website, advises the use of 25 recommended pesticides for pest control and calls on local authorities to help farmers use these drugs, as well as chlorfenapir and acetate.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture of China reported that the emergency use of these pesticides to combat army worms will last until the end of next year.

Autumn army worms, in large quantities drinking juices from the leaves and stems of many plant species, including sorghum, corn and sugarcane, can destroy hundreds of hectares of crops overnight.

Experts from a government think tank expect the pest to reach the country's northeast corn belt this month or July.