Since the locusts are also coming from Iran, India is looking at a trilateral response to deal with the problem.
New Delhi: What even coronavirus could not do, has been done by locusts which seem to have united arch-rivals India and Pakistan. The two countries are likely to sink their differences and sit on the talking table to tackle the common enemy—locusts. India has formally reached out to Pakistan to convene a meeting of officials to deal with the problem of locust menace affecting the two neighbouring countries.
The move comes as swarms of locusts, coming from Pakistan, “invaded” various states of India in the last few days. This week, there were active swarms of immature locusts in Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner, Suratgarh, Dausa districts of Rajasthan; Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh and Rewa, Morena, Betul, Khandwa districts of Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur and Amravati districts of Maharashtra. Since the locusts are also coming from Iran, India, in fact, is looking at a trilateral response to deal with the problem.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India had asked Pakistan to hold a meeting of officials concerned so that the two countries could jointly tackle the menace. “But we are yet to receive a response from them,” he said.
India and Pakistan have a channel of communication—at the level of locust officials—to address the issue in annual meetings. Usually, these meetings take place in June. In view of the alarming locust problem, this year, India has suggested that this mechanism be activated and coordinated control operations be undertaken. Sources said as many as five meetings between the two countries were held at Munabao (India) and Khokhropar (Pakistan) during June-December last year in order to tackle the issue.
Sources said it was suggested to Pakistan that the two countries could coordinate measures to control locusts along the border. India also proposed that it could facilitate supply of pesticide malathion to Pakistan. Malathion has proved to be an effective deterrent against the locusts.
Though there has not been any response from the Pakistani side, a foreign news agency quoted Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui as saying: “We believe that a well-coordinated response is critical to deal with the challenge posed by desert locusts.” She, according to the news agency, did not say what Islamabad’s possible response to the Indian proposal would be.
These locusts are among those breeding and maturing in Iran, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Iran, which is also facing the locust menace, however, responded to India’s gesture after which India is in the process to supply malathion. Sources in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL) is in the process of production and supply of 25 tonnes of malathion for supply to the locust control programme in Iran under government-to-government arrangement, after being approached by the MEA.
CENTRE REVIEWS LOCUST CONTROL OPERATIONS
Taking into view the seriousness of the menace, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, held a meeting in the capital to review locust control operations. He said the Centre is in close touch with the affected states and an advisory has been issued. According to him, 15 sprayers will start arriving from Britain in the next 15 days. Besides, 45 more sprayers will be procured in a month. He said 11 regional control rooms have been established and special contingents have been deployed along with additional manpower to check the spread of locusts.
Ministry sources said that at present, 200 Locust Circle Offices (LCO) are conducting survey and control operations in close coordination with district administration and agriculture field machinery of the affected sates. Locust control operations are in full swing in coordination with state agriculture departments and local administration.
Usually, the locust swarms enter India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June/July with the advent of monsoon. This year, however, the incursions of locust hoppers and pink swarms have been reported much earlier because of presence of residual population of locusts in Pakistan which they could not control last season.
Since 11 April this year, locust hoppers and from 30 April, this year, the incursion of pink immature adults has been reported in border districts of Rajasthan and Punjab, which are being controlled. Pink immature adults fly high and cover long distances during day hours from one place to another along with the westerly winds coming from the Pakistan side. Most of these pink immature adults settle on the trees during night and mostly fly during day.
During 2019-20, India witnessed a massive locust attack which was successfully controlled. Starting from 21 May 2019 till 17 February 2020, more than 4 lakh hectare area was treated and locusts controlled. Along with this, the State Agriculture Department of Rajasthan and Gujarat coordinated locust control in cropped areas of the state.
FAO LOCUST STATUS UPDATE
As per FAO’s Locust Status Update of 21 May, the current situation remains extremely alarming in East Africa where it is an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods. New swarms will migrate to the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border as well as to Sudan and West Africa. As vegetation dries out, more groups and swarms will form and move from these areas to the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. Good rains are predicted during the first half of June along the Indo-Pakistan border that would allow egg-laying to occur.
According to the FAO report, “As on 26 May, at least one swarm had reached the northeast of Bhopal. Much of these movements were associated with strong westerly winds from Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal.” “Several successive waves of invasions can be expected until July in Rajasthan with eastward surges across northern India as far as Bihar and Orissa followed by westward movements and a return to Rajasthan on the changing winds associated with the monsoon. These movements will cease as swarms begin to breed and become less mobile. Swarms are less likely to reach south India, Nepal, and Bangladesh,” the report added.
Locust is an omnivorous and migratory pest and has the ability to fly hundreds of kilometers collectively. It is a trans-border pest and attacks the crop in large swarm. Found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, they inhabit some 60 countries and can cover one-fifth of earth›s land surface. Desert locust plagues may threaten the economic livelihood of one-tenth of the world›s human population. Swarms of locusts in the desert come to India from Africa, Gulf, South West Asia during the summer monsoon season and go back towards Iran, Gulf and African countries for spring breeding.