Farmers in Karachi’s suburbs struggle to keep locusts at bay

Agriculture minister says more swarms in the offing

KARACHI:

Gadap Town and nearby localities in Malir resounded with sounds of firecrackers on Friday as many a helpless farmer set off the explosives in a bid to rid the area of locust swarms, which have already destroyed hundreds of acres of agricultural land and green pastures. Their efforts, though, went in vain.

According to the farmers, the pests descended on the area on Tuesday, causing significant harm to fruit and vegetable farms.

"They even caused damage to cattle fodder," Mohammad Osama Mahmood, a farmer from Sheedi Khan Goth, told The Express Tribune. To add to his misery, the locusts caused severe damage to his agricultural land, spread over 25 acres.

"They have been attacking [the fields] for the past four days," he cried, exasperated.

With no option left, the area's farmers resorted to using firecrackers, gunshots and vehicles' silencers to make noise and keep locust swarms away from their fields.

Mahmood, who went all the way to Jodia Bazaar and bought firecrackers, later lamented that they proved to be of no use. "The loud blasts were hardly able to keep the locusts away."

When contacted, Sindh Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahoo said that at least two teams from his department were sent to help the farmers.

Growing threat

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Rahoo said that locust attacks on Sindh's agricultural fields were more frequent this year than last year. "We fear more attacks in coming days," he said.

"They [locusts] will be entering Pakistan via different routes in the coming months," he explained, adding, however, that the swarms currently present in the country were likely to move towards India due to the lack of greenery in Pakistan.

Muhammad Aslam, a resident of Memon Goth, also said that that number of locusts invading the area was doubled from last year. "This is the second time they attacked crops here this year."

Rahoo blamed the federal government for the economic losses being faced by the farmers in the aftermath of locust swarms.

"The Centre's indifference is going to cause [further] losses for them," he remarked, adding that federal government teams had sprayed insecticides to keep locusts at bay over only 12,000 hectares of land so far.

The locust trade

Meanwhile, the residents of Memon Goth told The Express Tribune that villagers, already suffering economic losses as a consequence of crops' destruction, were now catching and selling locusts to earn income.

"I saw some boys selling locusts at a rate of Rs400 per kilogramme," said Aslam.

This was also confirmed by Mahmood. "Though the demand for locusts is not high, locals try to attract customers," he smiled. "They even cook them!"

According to Aslam, some sellers, keeping in view the small market for locusts in the area, are going to other parts of the city to sell them off. "They travel to Lyari, Ibrahim Hyderi and other such areas where they find more customers," he said.

Earlier, the Centre's move of establishing centres to purchase locusts in Tharparkar had left the Sindh government disgruntled.

At least 12 centres for purchasing locusts, dead or alive at a rate of Rs15 per kilogramme, were set up in different parts of Tharparkar district.

Expressing dismay while talking to The Express Tribune, Rahoo has said, "We are not taken into confidence [on the matter]. We were not told if any such development was to take place."

He went on to dub this strategy adopted by the federal government to tackle the situation "strange" and "nothing but a joke."

"We demanded they provide vehicles and planes for spraying, but have not received any response," Rahoo complained.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2020