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The Rajasthan Government has pressed the panic button over the locust attacks in 12 districts and in the neighbouring states of Gujarat and Punjab. Taking a cue from Pakistan it has asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the insect attacks as a national calamity.
Last week Pakistani Government had announced a state of national emergency due to the attacks. Rajasthan shares its international border with Pakistan and the Gehlot Government fears that the locust calamity in the neighbouring country could further impact the agriculture economy of the desert state.
State Minister for Revenue, Harish Choudhary had written to the Prime Minister on Sunday seeking immediate help in containing the pestilence and compensation for farmers who have lost their crop to the ultra-voracious insects. Since March 2019 the local farmers are facing locusts attacks.
The letter written to the Prime Minister, which has been reviewed by BusinessLine said that the attacks in the 12 districts have impacted large swaths of agriculture land. In spite of carrying out countermeasures over 3.5 lakh hectares, the attacks have continued.
The letter further claimed that in one attack lasting 24 hours the insects are capable of devouring food equivalent of 2,500 humans. The attacks could also spread in the neighbouring states therefore rapid action is needed from the Centre. Globally 20 countries have been affected due to the attacks.
In a telephonic interaction with BusinessLine, Choudhary said that the attacks could destroy the Rabi crop, which is up for harvesting in two months. The Kharif crop has already been affected by the attacks. There have also been reports of locust sighting in Punjab, he said.
An entomologist (insect behaviour expert) with a leading agriculture university in Maharashtra said that locust attack will need immediate action that too with heavy chemicals. There should be no delay in spraying the required chemicals. Alternative biological pesticides based on neem and other plant extracts will simply not help.
In Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency of the UN is also worried about the locust attacks.
On January 30, 2020 FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu said that the Desert Locust upsurge in the Horn of Africa threatened to provoke a humanitarian crisis and appealed for urgent funding to tackle the outbreak in order to protect livelihoods and food security,
The locust outbreak is the worst to strike Ethiopia and Somalia for 25 years and the worst infestation that Kenya had experienced in 70 years. Djibouti and Eritrea are now being affected, FAO said in a news article on its website.
Yesterday’s desert locust situation update by FAO has pointed out that heavy rains on the southern coast of Iran where locust swarms were laying eggs, should be favourable conditions for two generations of breeding that could cause a considerable increase in locust numbers. Residual adult groups and swarms are still present along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border while some swarms have moved into adjacent areas to the north.
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