'India, Pak may be swarmed by locusts'
Desert locust swarms capable of destroying crops may reach India & Pakistan "in the next few days''.
By Agencies |
NEW DELHI: Desert locust swarms capable of destroying agricultural crops may reach India and Pakistan ``in the next few days'' from Ethiopia and Somalia, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Recent heavy rainfall in Pakistan and western India has created ``unusually favorable breeding conditions'' for locusts until October along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border and in coastal areas of western Pakistan, the Rome-based organization said today in an e-mailed press release.
``This potentially dangerous situation should be closely monitored in both countries,'' the FAO said.
Desert locusts, migratory grasshoppers that often travel in vast swarms at speeds of up to 150 kilometers a day, can eat their own weight in food per day, according to the FAO. A small part of an average swarm is capable of eating as much food a day as approximately 2,500 people and can destroy vast amounts of farm land.
India and Pakistan are organizing field teams, equipment and resources to fight the swarms in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat as well as in adjacent areas of the Cholistan and Tharparkar deserts in Pakistan, the FAO said.
Meanwhile, Yemen is facing the worst outbreak of locusts in almost 15 years, with agricultural crops ``at risk,'' the FAO said. The group is sending two helicopters, pesticide, equipment, vehicles, and locust-control and logistics experts to the country later this month to try to control the plague.
Recent heavy rainfall in Pakistan and western India has created ``unusually favorable breeding conditions'' for locusts until October along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border and in coastal areas of western Pakistan, the Rome-based organization said today in an e-mailed press release.
``This potentially dangerous situation should be closely monitored in both countries,'' the FAO said.
Desert locusts, migratory grasshoppers that often travel in vast swarms at speeds of up to 150 kilometers a day, can eat their own weight in food per day, according to the FAO. A small part of an average swarm is capable of eating as much food a day as approximately 2,500 people and can destroy vast amounts of farm land.
India and Pakistan are organizing field teams, equipment and resources to fight the swarms in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat as well as in adjacent areas of the Cholistan and Tharparkar deserts in Pakistan, the FAO said.
Meanwhile, Yemen is facing the worst outbreak of locusts in almost 15 years, with agricultural crops ``at risk,'' the FAO said. The group is sending two helicopters, pesticide, equipment, vehicles, and locust-control and logistics experts to the country later this month to try to control the plague.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
