Locust attacks continue in Sindh; federal support demanded

KARACHI: Locust swarms continue to harm crops in Sindh for which the province has demanded the federal government to assist with the provision of three airplanes for aerial spray.

Sindh Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Ismail Rahoo has written a letter to Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar to provide the necessary assistance to get rid of the rising number of bugs that were damaging crops.

He demanded at least three aircrafts and eight vehicles along with ULV sprayer for Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions.

The letter said that if the desert area was managed properly, further outbreaks could be avoided. It has been the primary responsibility of the Federal Plant Protection Department to conduct aerial sprays to control locusts in desert areas.

Locust swarm was reported in Khairpur district in May 2019, which the Sindh government reported to the Federal Plant Protection Department’s director general. The DG was supposed to initiate the operation against the locust swarms.

The letter said if aerial spray had been carried out properly in the Nara Desert in June 2019, as was demanded, further outbreaks could have been avoided. “Due to rapid multiplication and movement of desert locust from one place to another place, it spread in other districts of Sindh ie Ghotki, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroze, Jamshoro, Tharparkar, Dadu, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas,” the letter added.

Rahoo said that Agriculture Department of Sindh has established emergency centres at taluka level in the concerned districts with the collaboration of district administration.

He lamented that despite a survey and reminder by the Agriculture Department of Sindh, no action was taken by the Federal Plant Protection Department to mitigate the looming disaster. “Resultantly, the locusts have been spread across the province,” he added.

Sindh government also purchased pesticides and other equipment worth Rs16 million for the affected districts of Khairpur, Ghotki, Sanghar, Tharparkar and Umerkot, in collaboration with the Plant Protection Department. “The Sindh government also released additional funds to District Umerkot and District Shaheed Benazirabad,” Rahoo said.

“Initially, the aircraft was provided by the Federal Plant Protection Department in Nara Desert of District Khairpur on June 19, 2019 till June 29, 2019,” the letter said, however, it noted that the spray was not enough to fight the menace.

The situation has worsened following rain, as swarms of locusts have also started infesting urban areas in the province.

“This may pose serious threat to agriculture and put the economy of Sindh at high risk,” the letter said. “There are reports from field offices regarding locust attack on crops and orchards as well as grazing fields in the deserts.”

Makhdoom Mukhtiar, a grower from Ghotki, told The News that locust attacked the crops during nights and stayed away during day time. “It is affecting wheat now. Cotton seems less vulnerable,” he said, sharing that the plague was not affecting the cotton crops as much as it was impacting wheat.