Swarms of locusts invade Ajmer, cause damage to crops

Amid the ongoing chaos due to the virus pandemic, farmers in Sirmandi village in Jodhpur are facing another threat. On Saturday, a large swarm of locusts invaded the village’s farmlands damaging crops of onion, millet, jowar, pearl and others.

Ajmer: 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 district from Nagaur side on Tuesday.

VK Sharma, Deputy Director, Agriculture department said that there were reports of 3-5 per cent damage to standing crops due to the locust attack.

"A swarm of locusts entered the district from Nagaur. As soon as the department received the information, a survey team and a control team were set up," said Sharma.

"This was the first time that a swarm attack took place. Before this, such an attack took place in 1993 in Ajmer. Large swarms of locusts are making rounds and may likely enter the Ajmer district."

In order to mitigate the damage caused by the locusts, the Agriculture department took help from the fire department for spraying pesticides on crops.

"We took help from the fire department to spray pesticides on crops and with their help, we were able to control the damage effectively across 1,362 hectares of land across the district," Sharma added.

He said that 20 per cent chlorpyrifos was sprayed and over 10 fire brigades were deployed a."We also used eight vehicles deployed by the locust control organization," Sharma said.

Speaking on the losses incurred due to the swarm attack, he further said: "At present, the vegetables and Jamun trees, there are reports of 3-5 per cent damage to crops."

A control room and a 24x7 helpline number are there to help farmers in distress, he said.

ANI