Malawi sees bigger maize harvest in 2017

Malawi's maize production may rise a third in 2017 to 3.2 million tonnes despite damage inflicted by the fall armyworm, an alien South American pest that has invaded corn fields from Congo to South Africa. Malawi's maize crop, the staple grain, was devastated last year by a regional drought triggered by an El Nino weather pattern. About 6.5 million Malawians, more than a third of the population, are dependent on food aid until this year's harvest in March, according to the United Nations' World Food Programme.