FAO forecasts locust threat amid fresh breeding; Gujarat says ‘well-prepared’

The worst nightmare of farmers ― locust attack ― is knocking at the doors yet again. If the projections by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is anything to go by, the heavy rains in the Southern coast of Iran will provide favourable conditions for two generations of breeding of locust swarms, posing a threat to the entire Southwest Asia including southern Pakistan and Western India.

In its latest desert locust bulletin released on February 3, the international body has flagged the “threat” of hatching and band formation in Southern Iran, while breeding is expected to start in Southwest Pakistan.

“In Southwest Asia, heavy rains fell on the southern coast of Iran where swarms were laying eggs, which should allow favourable conditions for two generations of breeding that could cause a considerable increase in locust numbers,” the FAO stated in its latest forecast for the region.

It also noted that in Southern Iran, breeding conditions were favourable about two months earlier than normal due to unusual winter rains, green vegetation and above-normal temperatures. “This was supplemented by unusually heavy rains that fell along most of the Southern Coast, including flooding in coastal and interior areas of Sistan-Baluchistan province in the Southeast,” it said, adding that it should allow breeding conditions to remain favourable for two generations of breeding.

While Rajasthan has raised alarm over the persisting locust menace, Gujarat is all geared up to tackle the challenge in the coming season.

Gujarat government’s Additional Chief Secretary for Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare, Punamchand Parmar told Businessline, “ The problem of locusts is more of less resolved this year. The Government of India has controlled it over an area of more than three lakh square meters in the western States. The FAO alert is for the coming season starting June 2020, for which the Government of India and the State Government of Gujarat are in preparedness, in the same manner we controlled locusts in the current year.” Notably the state had to bear the brunt of the locust attack in the current kharif season damaging crops on about 25,000 hectares of land.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala, had reportedly said that the government was considering discussing a locust-control roadmap with the affected countries ― about 30 of them ―to explore mutual coordination and cooperation for a collective response to avoid and fight locust attacks.

In its specific forecast on India, the FAO stated that the majority of the residual summer-bred adult groups and swarms will move from Rajasthan and Gujarat towards Balochistan in Pakistan. “Only low numbers of locusts are likely to remain in favourable areas,” it added.

As per the FAO data, India has treated about 61,178 hectares of land for residual groups and swarms, while Pakistan has treated about 62,295 hectares and Iran 2,041 hectares.

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