MITHI: Sindh Minister for Agriculture Mohammad Ismail Rahu has warned if the deferral plant protection department fails to provide 100 vehicles and aircraft it had committed for operation against locusts in the province, the deadly insects will wreak havoc with crops again after they become fully developed in coming days and weeks.

The minister told journalists after visiting locust-infested areas here on Sunday that the insects which were in eggs around May this year were now becoming full grown and ready to attack crops again in as many as eight districts.

“We had informed top officials of the federal government about the threat well in advance and requested them to provide us with 100 vehicles and aircraft to help us overcome the threat but we have so far received only commitments,” he said.

“The crops face serious threat of locust attack in Tharparkar, Badin, Umerkot, San­ghar, Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki and Mir­purkhas districts in coming weeks after the insects become mature enough to fly,” he said.

He said the officials of plant protection department had informed him they were unable to combat the insects’ attacks on vast areas in Sindh with the few faulty vehicles they had.

Mr Rahu said that there were two aircraft at Chhor but they were not being put to use to carry out any operation in the locust-infested areas for unknown reasons. The prime minister and his team had messed up all departments and brought the country to the verge of disaster from where only true leaders could save it, he said.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had proved he could lead people from the front like his illustrious parents to get rid of naive rulers who had been imposed on the country. Attack on any clause of the Constitution including 18th Amendment would be foiled with the help of all democratic forces of the country, he said.

Mr Rahu said earlier on Saturday at a meeting at deputy commissioner’s office that after receiving cold-shouldered response from the federal government Sindh government had to purchase some machinery required for fighting the scourge, which was feared to wreak havoc with the crops again.

“We have prepared ourselves to counter the scourge in the desert with the help of the limited resources available to us,” he said and directed officials report him directly and his office if locusts’ movement was noticed in any part of Thar. At present anti-locust spray was carried out in an area as and when they receive reports about the insects’ attack, he said.

He said that to provide maximum relief to farming community especially in rain-dependent arid zone was one of the top priorities of Sindh government. His department had launched a number of schemes to promote bio-saline agriculture in Thar where people knew only about use of rainwater for cultivation traditional crops, he said.

“We will have to guide farmers in Thar region and educated them in sowing crops with the help of modern technologies keeping in view importance of demography,” he said, adding that there was a serious need to focus environment and ecology of the arid zone.

He said that the ban imposed by the home department on the cultivation of crops on grazing lands, tracts and tops of sandy dunes ensured that livestock got enough fodder in the wake of current rainfall.

PPP MPAs Surendar Valasai and Rana Hamir Singh, special assistant to chief minister Veerji Kolhi, DC Mohammad Nawaz Soho and officials concerned attended the meeting after which the minister, accompanied by officials, visited locust-infested areas in Parkar region and inspected the ongoing insecticide operation.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2020