Locusts swarms ravage orchards, crops in Dasht

Landowners report large-scale losses

DASHT: Orchards and seasonal crops in different areas of tehsil Dasht have been  badly affected by attacks from locust swarms. The farmers and landowners are  extremely worried about losing their produce as their standing crops are on the verge of destruction. Demanding immediate action from the Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal, the land owners have requested the provincial government to administer aerial sprays over their fields.

According to details, locust infestation in different areas of Tehsil Dasht has attacked crops and orchards on a large scale. Locusts in large numbers are coming from high altitudes and swarming into the fields.

According to landowners, the staff of the provincial agriculture department tried their best to control and eradicate the locusts despite the limited resources and unavailability of modern facilities, but they say the unprecedented number of insects is beyond control.

According to sources, an official letter has been sent to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the provincial government for immediate provision of sprays and other facilities in the affected areas. However, the department has not received any response from the government so far.

The landowners of the area, while talking to journalists in Dasht, lamented that on the one hand they have to face the “cruel treatment” of QESCO through long power outages and voltage disruptions, and on the other, now have to bear the brunt of the policies formulated against agriculturists.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2020.