Locust swarms persist, no significant crop loss reported so far, says government

PUNE: Locust swarms persist in some areas but they have caused only minor crop loss in some districts of Rajasthan, the government said in a statement.

“No significant crop losses have been reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana,” it said.

The government is using drones in Rajasthan, while the Air Force is conducting trials in anti-locust operations using an MI-17 helicopter, the statement said.


Since April 11, locust-control operations have been conducted in 2.6 lakh hectares in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by Locust Circle Offices (LCOs). States have conducted operations in 2.64 lakh hectares in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar, it said.

Currently, 104 control teams with spray vehicles are deployed in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations, it said.

On Aug 9, some locusts were active in Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Nagaur, Churu, Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar of Rajasthan and in Kutch district of Gujarat.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Status Update of Aug 7 says that desert locust swarms continue to persist in several countries in Horn of Africa and Yemen and summer breeding is in progress on both sides of Indo-Pak border.