ISLAMABAD, Feb 16: Pakistan has sought reports from India, Afghanistan and Iran about the breeding of desert locusts in these countries following a recent warning from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of breeding of the insect in western and southern parts of the country.

The plant protection department of the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) has contacted these countries in order to stop immature locusts, survived the recent control operations along both sides of Pakistan-India border, from forming a swarm, a Minfal official said.

“We are expecting reports from India, Iran and Afghanistan within the next couple of weeks,” the official said.

He said the neighbouring countries would have to deal with locusts jointly because the swarms could hit in May-June-July and harm major crops of these countries. In Pakistan, the swarm could attack the wheat crop this season, he added. “Last year, we had also closely worked with India and exchanged information to check the breeding of insect, and this year we will follow the same guidelines.”

The FAO, he maintained, again warned Minfal of swarm breeding this week and asked it “to intensify surveys” in Shooli, Las Bela, Rajasthan and areas of Balochistan along Pakistan-Afghan and Pakistan-Iran borders.

“The situation is not out of control or worse but we are taking these measures as timely precaution,” the official said.

According to the FAO, in Southwest Asia, control operations had declined along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border where small hopper bands and swarms had formed in areas of previous breeding in November last year.

On December 1, control teams in India treated a low-density immature swarm on 150 hectares near Jaisalmer. Control operations were in progress during the first week of December in adjacent areas of Pakistan against about 100 hectares of small immature adult groups.

“Any adults that escaped control will form a few more small groups or swarmlets and move out of the area because vegetation has become dry,” the FAO has warned.

Most of these adults are likely to move towards the spring breeding areas in Balochistan, while a few adults could move further east or south in Rajasthan. So far, a few solitarious mature adults have appeared in coastal areas near Shooli and Las Bela, the UN organization has warned.

The FAO had warned Pakistan of a severe locust swarms attack in the Rabi season last year and as a precaution the department of plant protection had allocated Rs39million to counter the pest on a war-footing.

The department had also deputed various teams in Balochistan. The teams conducted plant monitoring, sampling and grading in Turbat, Khuzdar, Gwadar, Pasni and Quetta. However, the government has not yet mobilized these teams again.

AERIAL WING: Sources said the aerial wing of the department of plant protection is not in full state of preparedness to meet any such attack as some of its Cessna aircraft were not functioning because of lack of repairs and maintenance.