North Lakhimpur, Aug. 9 -- Farmers in Assam's Lakhimpur district are facing difficulties as army worms have damaged growing paddy crops over the past few days.

After nearly a month of dry weather caused cracks in the fields, swarms of these nocturnal insects, also known as elephant bugs, have invaded paddy fields with newly planted crops.

The worms have eaten large portions of the paddy overnight, leaving many fields barren. The worst-affected areas include Karhi Pukuhuri, Sandah Khowa, and Khara Pathar in Bihpuria under the Bihpuria Revenue Circle.

A farmer from Karhi Pukhuri reported that the worms destroyed his 50 bighas of paddy plantation.

"I recently started transplanting paddy using deep boring water pumps because the fields ha...