Farmers Movement Archive

Locust problem: India proposes joint response, Pakistan yet to reply

Tribune News ServiceNew Delhi, May 22While Iran has already “responded positively”, it remains to be seen how Pakistan reacts to India’s proposal of a coordinated response to control desert locust that have entered India earlier than their normal time of June and July.“It remains to be seen if Pakistan will rise above its narrow-minded approach, as was seen in the case of India’s regional initiative for dealing with COVID-19, and come forward with cooperation on a coordinated desert locust control operation with India,” said a source.To further regional cooperation, India proposed a coordinated response to Iran and Pakistan to control desert locust. India suggested to Pakistan that both countries coordinate locust control operation along the border and that India can facilitate supply of pesticide Malathion to Pakistan, sources said.The institutionalised mechanism of Locust Warning Organization could be energised for such cooperation. India has also offered to supply pesticide to Iran to carry out desert locust control operations in its Sistan-Balochistan and South Khorasan provinces. These efforts will contribute to mitigate the effect of the desert locust not only in these countries, but also for India, the sources added.In addition to the Covid pandemic, this year a new challenge is facing the people of the South Asia and South West Asia region in the form of desert locust. Locust swarm from Pakistan has entered Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, threatening major damage to standing cotton crops and vegetables. Rajasthan is the most affected state.According to a MoEF spokesperson, during the current year, the swarm of locust has entered India earlier than the normal time of June and July. As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reports, in Iran, hopper bands of the locust are maturing along the south-western coastal plains, and another generation of breeding is underway in the southeast where hatching is taking place on the coast and in the interior of Sistan-Baluchistan.In Pakistan, adult groups are migrating to the Indian border from breeding areas in Baluchistan where hopper groups are present as well as in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.FAO reports indicate that the desert locust population is expected to move from spring breeding of Balochistan to summer breeding along India-Pakistan border.In India, more adult groups and small swarms have arrived from Pakistan in the past weeks and moved east into Rajasthan, reaching Jodhpur, say officials.In India, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare leads the efforts in locust control in the country and also spearheads initiatives to foster regional cooperation.With Pakistan, there is an existing institutionalized mechanism for such a cooperation including regular border meetings between the locust officers of the two countries, say sourcesSix border meetings between the locust officers led by Plant Protection Advisers of India and Pakistan are held every year (June to November) either at Munabao (India side) or at Khokhropar (Pakistan side) for exchanging information on locust situation of both the countries, explain officials.Wireless communication between Jodhpur (India) and Karachi (Pakistan) is also maintained every year during this period (June to Nov) for exchange of locust information between the two countries, they say.In addition, regional cooperation on locust control is driven by FAO. India participates in the meetings/sessions of the FAO’s Desert Locust Control Committee; participates and organizes the meetings/sessions of FAO’s Commission for Controlling Desert Locust in South West Asia; and participates in the Joint Survey Programmes with Pakistan and Iran organized by FAO.There is consensus that the desert locust could pose a grave challenge in 2020. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Affairs has already started efforts in the matter. In March 2020, Minister of State Kailash Choudhary participated in a South West Asian Region virtual meeting coordinated by FAO to discuss regional cooperation to combat desert locust problem.Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar  has interacted with representatives of Pesticide Manufacturing Industry to fine tune a strategy to prevent locust attacksLocust invasion was first noticed last year and the farmers were taken unawares as it took place after decades.Normally, with the arrival of the monsoon, locust swarms enter the Scheduled Desert Areas of India via Pakistan for breeding in the summer (June-July), but this year, presence of locust hoppers was reported from April 11, 2020Pink Adult Swarms were reported since April 30 in border districts of Rajasthan and Punjab, which have been controlled and control operations against new swarms is going on.One reason for this was the uncontrolled swarms of the previous season in Pakistan that breed continuously. Swarms of Pink Immature Adults fly high and travel long distances with strong winds coming from Pakistan. Most of these Pink Immature Adults settle on trees during the night and mostly fly during the day, say officials.

The Tribune

2020-05-22