China's agriculture ministry said on Tuesday the period of danger from the fall armyworm pest was over for this year's crop and there was no longer a threat to the country's major corn production area in the northeast for now. The fall armyworm can ravage large swathes of crops and has been moving northwards in the world's second-largest corn producer since January. China is set to begin its corn harvest early next month, with the market closely watching output amid tightening stocks.

The pest spread to 25 provinces this year and impacted more than 15 million mu (1 million hectares), officials at China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs told reporters. It did not reach the country's northeast, China's most important corn production region and bread basket for the world's most populous country. The armyworm has now settled in China, however, and after hibernating in the southwest this winter it will be back to threaten next year's crop, Pan Wenbo, director of the planting administration at the ministry told reporters.

Copyright Reuters, 2019