he lack of collective action will make matters worse
KARACHI: Crop-eating locusts have invaded a large portion of the agricultural area of our country. This peculiar phenomenon may lead to the problem of food insecurity due to the mass destruction of crops. Our economy is already teetering on the brink of collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic, therefore we have to find a solution to this problem at the latest or else the whole situation will rapidly exacerbate.
Even though the government has formulated a national strategy to combat the locust wave that has struck the country after 27 years, their unperceptive nature cannot be ignored. Although the possibility of such an attack was envisioned and foreshadowed last summer by local farmers and international agencies, the government’s delayed response raises many questions. Moreover, the efforts to curtail the damage after the attack has so far been ineffective, disjointed, and inadequate. The discord between the Sindh government and the Centre elucidates the idea that politics not only acts as a barrier that prevents provinces from pooling in their resources, but also precludes them from working in unison to overcome the loss. At the end of the day, local farmers are left to deal with the menace on their own.
At this point in time, when the country is combatting problems on multiple fronts with limited resources, this locust attack should not be taken lightly. Our economic and social fabric has already adversely affected by traditional and non-traditional threats. The lack of collective action will make matters worse.
Hadia Mukhtar
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2020.
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