Sindh may suffer loss of Rs451b due to locusts: Rahoo

Says crops in 7 districts in desert areas in addition to 10 other districts were at risk of being destroyed by locusts

KARACHI: As many as nine districts of Sindh have been affected by locust swarms, said Sindh Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahoo on Monday.

According to Rahoo, locust attacking crops in Sindh can cause a potential loss of Rs451 billion, which, he said, was approximately 70 per cent of Sindh's budget.

He said that crops in seven districts in desert areas in addition to 10 other districts were at risk of being destroyed by locusts.

"Large swarms of locusts are entering Balochistan, Sindh, and Southern Punjab, but the federal government is still not paying any heed to this national issue," he complained, adding that the country might face another famine due to the "negligence and incompetence" of the Centre.

Rahoo said that agriculture department teams had so far, sprayed disinfectant on 1,408 acres of land in Khairpur, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad Kashmore-Kandhkot, Dadu, Qambar-ShahdadKot and other districts of Sindh, on the second day of Eid.

"But the federal government has still not launched a spraying drive in Sindh," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2020.