Locusts damage crops in Sindh, Punjab

MULTAN/KANDHKOT/MUZAFFARGARH: Locust swarms dealt a severe blow to mango, cotton and other crops in various areas of Sindh and southern Punjab, sparking fears of a looming food shortage in case the government fails to act soon.

The locust attack took place in different areas of Multan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Kandhkot, causing serious damage to mango, cotton and rice crops.

With no help from the government, the locals in Muzaffargarh attempted to ward off the locust swarms by beating drums in an attempt to scare them away. To effectively eliminate locust swarms, the farmers have called upon the government to spray crops from airplanes instead of spraying only certain areas.

In Kandhkot, locust swarms destroyed rice saplings, grass and trees. Locals in the city demanded from the government to conduct aerial spray to ensure the protection of food crops.

Earlier, the relevant authorities had raised alarm about farmlands in Sindh once again coming under a massive attack of locust swarms from Iran by May 15, which could prove even more harmful for the crops in the province as compared to the last year’s locust attack.

The information was shared by officials of the Plant Protection Department (PPD) at a high level meeting at the Sindh Secretariat on the expected locust attack in the province.

The PPD officials had told Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah that up to 60 countries around the world had been affected by locust swarms.

The meeting participants were informed that 30 spots had been identified in Sindh where camps would be established for tackling the issue of the impending locust attack. Fifty-seven teams comprising 180 personnel were being created to address the emergency.

It was decided in the meeting that 100,000 litres of pesticide would be sprayed through aerial means, while 25,000 litres of pesticide would be used against locust swarms via the boom spray method.