Growers to get insecticide to fight locust

Islamabad : Apart from assisting Pakistan in its fight against novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the government of Japan in collaboration with a Japanese NGO and some private organisations is going to provide insecticide to the government of Pakistan to combat the serious threats posed by locust attacks to the agricultural fields.

To this effect, a Japanese NGO, CWS-Japan, will hand over 58 kilo-litres of insecticide 'Lambda Cyhalothrine EC 2.5' to the National Disaster Management Authority through its partner, CWS-Asia, this month to combat desert locusts.

In addition, it will also extend support to Pakistani farmers affected by locust invasion. In this backdrop, Ambassador of Japan MATSUDA Kuninori visited the NDMA headquarters here and held a meeting with its chairman, Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal, to express his country's commitment to support the Pakistan for minimising the damage caused by locusts.

The ambassador disclosed the upcoming support and said the damage being caused by the desert locusts to crops and other agricultural products was a serious problem not only for Pakistan but also for other South Asian countries and that it was becoming an imminent threat to the world's food supply.

He said in the midst of intensifying impact of coronavirus pandemic on health, it was imperative to successfully control the locust’s infestation in order to secure the livelihood and food.

Realising the seriousness of the issue and in light of a long-standing friendship between our two countries, the envoy said the government of Japan along with CWS-Japan, would support the people of Pakistan, especially the farmers fighting locust swarms.