Barmer: After sightings of locusts in different districts of Rajasthan, Agriculture and Food Organisation (AFO) has issued a warning of locust attack in the Barmer district.
The AFO is gearing up to tackle any major attack by the tropical grasshopper. Due to the ongoing monsoon season, the farmers have been worried about their crops. The officials informed that locust control operations were carried out in more than 2.75 lakh hectares area in the state of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.
Barmer Deputy Director of Agriculture, Dr JR Bhakhar revealed that control teams with spray vehicles, drones and tractor-mounted sprayers have been deployed to battle the locust attack. He also asserted that India has probably become the first country to deploy drones to fight the locust invasion.
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Further, Bhakhar stated swarms of locusts are more likely to attack crops in monsoon. "At present, there are two helicopters, one is of a private company and the other from the Air Force. They have been deployed for the purpose of fighting the locust attack. However, the locusts have caused minor crops losses in Rajasthan," Dr JR Bhakhar added.
The desert locust is a species of locust, a swarming short-horned grasshopper. They are known to devour everything in their path, posing an unprecedented threat to food supply and livelihoods of millions of people.
Adult locust swarms can fly up to 150 kilometres in a day with the wind and adult insects can consume roughly their own weight in fresh food per day. A very small swarm eats as much in one day about 35,000 people, posing a devastating threat to crops and food security.
With inputs from agencies
