Desert Locusts are a species of short-horned grasshoppers; they have swarm behaviour that
they collectively migrate in
some direction.
They eat aa large quantity of any kind of green vegetation. These insects are solitary but in some circumstances they become gregarious. Normally they are in low number, but in suitable conditions, they abundantly breed and become a large enough population. Then, they move around rapidly and damage the crops.
They eat aa large quantity of any kind of green vegetation. These insects are solitary but in some circumstances they become gregarious. Normally they are in low number, but in suitable conditions, they abundantly breed and become a large enough population. Then, they move around rapidly and damage the crops.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is dealing with
this worst situation in Pakistan and India very closely. The current situation
of locusts attack in India and Pakistan is an unparalleled threat to food
security and livelihoods.
In Pakistan, desert locusts are busy to eat crops in the area
of western Baluchistan and moving toward Lower KP, Thal desert, south Punjab,
and Thar desert. They are growing day by day, as the cool nights and warm days
of the desert provide them with a favourable environment for growth. These desert locusts
eating away cultivated lands gradually. Pakistan’s government is using 9
spraying air crafts to kill locust. According to a report the estimated loss of
agriculture in Pakistan due to desert locusts could reach to PKR 205 billion.
The total estimated loss for Rabi crops is about PKR 353 billion and for Kharif
crops to be about PKR 464 billion. Pakistan’s government says it is the worst
locusts attack in more than 20 years.
In India, a massive mob of desert locusts are destroying crops
across the area of central and western India and spreading into Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and Maharashtra. The Indian
government is using specialized insecticides spraying
machines and Locust Warning Organization (LWO) make efforts to eliminate
locusts before the monsoon in order to save Kharif crops. This worst locusts attack
promoting fear of losing billions of dollars’ worth of crops and food shortage
in India.
The only solution to control the spread of locust is the
insecticides spray using through aircraft.
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