Worst of locust swarms yet to come

Officials, experts say rising temperature could prompt locusts to return from Cholistan as new swarms enter from Iran

LAHORE: Locust swarms may have migrated away from most parts of Punjab, but to think the worst has passed would be a folly. Although authorities and experts say the extent of damage they caused this year has not been as bad as before, they warn the threat can still return in any of a few number of ways.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Punjab experts and agriculture department officials admitted the locust swarms destroyed a significant number of cotton, maize, sunflower and chickpea crops in Khushab, Jhang, Bhakkar, Layyah, Rajanpur, Okara and other districts of Punjab after entering the southern half of province via Balochistan.

“Cotton grown in South Punjab was worst hit. The crop planted at the beginning of March has been pretty much ruined, meaning cultivators will have to re-plant it,” said farmer and expert Amir Hayat Bhandara.

The province’s agriculture minister, however, insisted the situation was not as bad as it had been following previous infestations. “There is a lot more propaganda than damage. In fact, the yields of many crops like wheat have been higher this year than in previous ones,” Noman Langrial said.

According to agriculture officials, the swarms have now moved away from most parts of Punjab. “As much as 95 per cent of the locusts have moved to Cholistan,” said Department of Agriculture Director General Dr Anjum Ali. He warned, however, that the worst could still come to pass in more than one ways.

“We have four possible threats now. For starters, the nymphs and larvae from the eggs the locusts laid in Punjab will be a future threat. The locust swarms in Cholistan can also return from the desert,” he said. “Then there is the threat of new swarms that can enter Pakistan from Afghanistan or Iran.”

Sources in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said this latter possibility could become a reality later this month as more swarms leave Africa in an eastward direction. They also warned the likelihood of swarms returning from Cholistan would increase as soon as the temperature hits 45 degrees Celsius.

To prepare for any such eventuality Agriculture Minister Langrial said authorities had sprayed as much as 75,000 litres of pesticides on a combined 700,000 acres in 25 districts. “More than 3,000 Punjab agriculture department workers were engaged in the activity,” he said.

Bhandara, meanwhile, called on the government to form farmers’ committees that could work to eradicate locusts.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2020.