Distribution and Pest Status of African Sugarcane Stem Borers

Many subsistence farmers throughout tropical and subtropical Africa grow sugar cane for chewing purposes. Commercial sugar cane production, however, has an interesting history in Africa. Many countries had very strong industries in the early 1900s, which collapsed during various civil wars and for other reasons through the years. Some of these countries now are rehabilitating their industries. A few still have very strong industries, which have withstood the vagaries of time. This section deals only with the commercial sugar industries known to occur in Africa, as it is only from reports and papers emanating from these that pest records are known. Also, for the purposes of this section, Africa is divided into southern, eastern, northern and western regions. The countries known to have, or have had, viable sugar cane industries in southern Africa include South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. In east Africa, they are Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. In...