‘Locusts attacking plain cultivated areas first time in Pakistan’

FAISALABAD: It is alarming that locusts, which are desert insects, are attacking plain cultivated areas first time in the country.

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad has sent a team of experts and 50 entomology students to different districts of the province to analyse the situation, said UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf here on Friday. He was talking to the team of UAF locusts’ experts on video conference.

The team was led by Department of Entomology Chairman Dr Muhammad Mansoorul Hassan while Dr Sohail Ahmad, Dr Amir Rasool, Dr Waqas Wakeel, Muhammad Arshad, Dr Ahmad Nawaz, Dr Jam Nazir and Dr Sagheer were also a part of the team.

The team members are visiting Pakpattan and Sahiwal districts while the students are surveying locusts in the areas of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Ludhran, Fateh Shah and other areas. Dr Muhammad Ashraf directed the team to come up with viable recommendations to address the issue and guide farming community regarding mitigation strategies. He said that the situation of locusts attack was worse than 1993 which faced the country.

He said that this year, locusts affected different crops, including mustard, onion, peas, barseem fodder and others. He said that locusts had not attacked wheat crop so far. He directed the team to analyse either it would attack wheat this year or not. He showed his concern that no scientific research had been conducted on the issue so far. He said that the university had set up Research and Development Cell on locusts to combat issue incurring a loss of billions of rupees to agriculture sector. He directed the UAF Entomologists to study locusts’ life history, attacked areas, management techniques, various stages, critical stage to hit and effects of climate changes.

Dr Mansoorul Hassan said that they were preparing a research proposal on locusts for in-depth study over the crisis. He directed the farming community of visiting districts to apply the spray of lamba cyatholthrin, fipronil, bifenthrin and chlorpyrifos in the affected areas at the initial stage. He said that they were also collaborating with Plant Protection Department and Agriculture Extension Department to address the problem. He said that locusts travel in swarms consisting of 30 to 50 million locusts that can cover 150 km and can devour 200 tons of food a day.