Locust control operations being carried out daily: Sindh minister

Around 9,500 acres of land in Tharparkar has been sprayed since the last week of June

HYDERABAD: Locust control operations are still going on in parts of the province, said Sindh Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahoo, adding that sprays are being carried out on a daily basis. Rahoo, who chaired a meeting with agriculture and district administration officials in Tharparkar on Friday, said that the relevant departments have been directed to protect the crops from locust attacks through regular sprays.

Deputy Commissioner Shahzad Tariq Thaeem and agriculture officials informed the minister that a vast area of 9,500 acres of land in the desert region Tharparkar has been sprayed so far since the last week of June. Locusts invaded other parts of Sindh in last week of May. The DC said that seven teams with as many vehicles mounted spray machines are conducting the operation regularly.

Swarms of locusts began to invade vegetation in parts of Sindh after a long interlude of around 22 years. Experts of the federal department of Plant Protection and provincial departments fear a steep rise in the locust population after monsoon rains if timely sprays are not carried out.

The DC said locust eggs have been reported from ten villages in four different union councils, adding that teams are being sent to spray those villages. The provincial minister assured officials that financial bottlenecks obstructing the drive against locusts will be resolved.

Although, the federal department of Plant Protection is responsible for conducting the spray and bearing the cost of operation, due to the department's limited resources the provincial government has been contributing towards both the manpower and the finances. Rahoo said that the Sindh government immediately responded to the threat of locusts after the insects emerged in Khairpur, Jamhoro, Matiari, Nawabshah and other districts of Sindh.

The minister said that the government is trying to promote agriculture in the arid regions like Tharparkar. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2019.