China sends additional aid to help Pakistan decimate locusts

Consignment includes 300,000 litres of pesticides, 50 pieces of equipment

BEIJING: The aid containing 300,000 litres of pesticides and 50 sets of equipment from China has reached Pakistan, waiting to destroy locust swarms that are evolving into their second generation, Sui Pengfei, Director of International Cooperation Department, Chinese Agriculture Ministry said at a press conference.

“The second generation of locust swarms is taking shape as forecast by Chinese experts, and it is just the right time to apply pesticides and sprayers that are more suitable for large-area operation to decimate the swarms once and for all,” Sui said.

The aid of 300,000 litres of pesticides and 50 sets of equipment landed in Pakistan on April 25. Prior to this, China had provided 50,000 litres of malathion (50 tons) and 14 air-powered high-efficiency remote sprayers on March 9.

In helping Pakistan, the Chinese Agriculture Ministry has mainly carried out three measures. First of all, the Chinese Agriculture Ministry, in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry and China International Development Cooperation Agency, prepared an emergency plan for disaster prevention and control.

Under the plan, the ministry sent a delegation of Chinese experts to conduct field surveys in locust-affected areas and determine comprehensive measures to prevent and control the disaster.

This article originally appeared on the China Economic Net 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2020.

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