January 29, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 28, 1426

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned Pakistan about breeding of locusts in the coastal areas of Balochistan to the size of a swarm if it starts raining.

An official in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) told Dawn here on Saturday that control operations against swarms on the Indo-Pakistan border had ended recently and only a low number of adult locusts were flying towards the coastal areas in Balochistan.

However, these adults would eventually breed in case of rains that were expected throughout the country in the coming weeks. The meteorological department has already forecast widespread rains in the upper parts of the country.

The official said the FAO was informing all countries from time to time about the locusts and their breeding situation.

Though, this time the situation is not as serious as it was in June-July last year. However, the government must take action before the locusts take the form of a swarm, the official said.

“The time has come that Minfal should take action now and deal with these adults before they take the form of a swarm to avoid the emergency-like situation of last year,” the official said.

Operation on the Pak-India border had started in May-June last year after the FAO had warned it of a severe attack by locusts on its crops.

According to FAO’s latest forecast, small-scale breeding is already in progress in Mauritania, Algeria, Sudan and Yemen.

Limited breeding has started in the winter-breeding areas along the Red Sea coast in the Tokar Delta, Sudan and on the Northern Tihama Coast in Yemen.

Small-scale breeding continues in Western Mauritania and Southern Algeria. Ground-control operations have been conducted in both countries against hoppers and adults. Scattered adults are present in a few places in Tamensa, Niger and near two farms in Southern Egypt.

Commencing of small-scale breeding is expected in the coming weeks in Northern Mauritania and Western Sahara where there is a good amount of rainfall in December.

During quiet periods (known as recessions) desert locusts are usually restricted to the semi-arid and arid deserts of Africa, the Near East and South-West Asia that receive less than 200mm of rain annually. This is an area of about 16m sq km, consisting of about 30 countries.

During plagues, desert locusts may spread over an enormous area of some 29m sq km, extending over or into parts of 60 countries. This is more than 20 per cent of the total land surface of the earth. These locusts have the potential to damage the livelihood of a tenth of the world’s population.