At least one hundred acres of land could be damaged by the beet army worm in sections of Manchester and St. Elizabeth.

This was revealed by Chief Executive Officer at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, (RADA), Peter Thompson.

Mr. Thompson says Rada officers have been deployed to the affected areas to get a full understanding of the state of the damage.

He adds that the agency has been providing information to farmers on how to control the spread of the pest.

Meantime, Agriculture Minister, Karl Samuda says steps are being taken to arrest the growth of the beet army worm, affecting sections of Manchester and St. Elizabeth.

Mr. Samuda says he has instructed Rada to implement the necessary measures to deal with the issue.

He adds that State Minister in the ministry, J.C Hutchinson has been working with representatives on the ground to assess the impact on farmers.

He was speaking at a press conference in Kingston this morning (May 5).