Locusts attack in 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh

Adding to the woes of farmers who are already bearing the brunt of national lockdown which has adversely affected the agriculture, swarms of locusts invaded the 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday morning. The Department of Agriculture said the swarms reached Madhya Pradesh via Rajasthan.

Ujjain(Madhya Pradesh):Desert locusts swarmed several districts in western Madhya Pradesh early on Wednesday morning. Millions of locusts were seen on trees and in Rana Heda village near Panbihar in Ujjain district reminding the scenes of pre-independence Rajasthan.

Millions of the insects descended at Ranhera village in Panbihar. The deputy director of agriculture department Neelam Singh said a team from the department sprayed pesticides through fire tenders for three hours to cover a 12 square km area. The dept has issued an advisory to the farmers for forming small groups and protecting the fields at night.

Agricultural Centre said that Singrauli Tehsil area of ​​Neemuch district, Agar-Malwa along with Shajapur and Ujjain district were worst affected due to the desert locusts.

The department personnel said the swarms reached Madhya Pradesh via Rajasthan.

Farmers of Ujjain, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Agar-Malwa and other districts of Madhya Pradesh are affected by swarms. Another swarm attacked the region from the Neemuch side affecting vegetation in Hanumantia, Gurjar Khedi, Khor, Nayagaon, Kesharpura, Kanaka, Sagrana. There was panic among the villagers who have never witnessed such sight for several decades now.

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Swarms of locusts descended on a long stretch of four districts in Madhya Pradesh early Wednesday morning About 12 sq km area was completely covered by the swarms.

Farmers made loud noises to save the vegetation from them. They also lit torches toward the swarms of the herd.

However, department stated that there is a need to construct a concrete action plan for effective control of locusts outbreaks.

If locusts are seen in sugarcane crop, insecticides such as chlorpyrifos 20 percent EC, chlorpyrifos 50 percent EC and lambda should be sprayed immediately. In cases of severe destruction, farmers should inform the concerned departments.

The Department of Agriculture says that nine locust groups have gotten lively in the desert.

(With inputs from ANI and IANS)