ISLAMABAD, April 7: Pakistan may face locust attack during June-July as recent widespread heavy rainfall has made conditions congenial for the locust breeding. A senior official in the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) told Dawn on Thursday that a recent meeting of the federal committee on agriculture (FCA) was informed about a revised forecast of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on locust swarms.

According to the FAO, most of the locust swarms in Northern Egypt are expected to more towards the Red Sea. The FAO has forecast that if a large number of swarms arrive in Sudan and breed successfully, they may cross the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.

“Successful breeding may occur on either sides of the Red Sea. These swarms from Central Saudi Arabia may infiltrate into the Pakistan-India border area during June-July 2005,” a Minfal report quoted the FAO as saying.

Minfal said: “Recent widespread heavy rainfall in the locust breeding areas of Balochistan has made the ecological conditions congenial for the flare up of locust population.”

The official said that though the government was ready to cope with the situation, there was no panic or frightful situation.

He said the government had authorized Minfal to use about Rs110 million to enhance the logistic supports for locust survey and control. This include about Rs39 million for the procurement of 100 tons of pesticides, Rs40 million for 14 surveillance vehicles and about Rs17 million for 30-UVL sprayers for locust control.

Necessary tenders have also been called and supply orders are being placed to procure these requirements. In addition, about Rs10 million have also been sanctioned to purchase spare parts and repair of aircrafts.

However, officials in the federal government said the provinces had yet to forward any demand for aerial spray of Kharif 2005.

He said the FAO had originally cautioned Pakistan about a possible locust attack during March-April, but revised its forecast for June-July. He said Pakistan’s major crop wheat was now in the safe phase because its harvest had already started and would be over in a few weeks time.

Locust attack is a sort of pest plague that can damage crops, fruits and even trees.

“There is no specific forecast about its intensity in Pakistan, but generally the plague is one of the most dreaded phenomenon for the agriculture sector,” an official said.

West Africa is a breeding ground for the pest, its route to this region is through Saudi Arabia, which is very well prepared, and the pest could not escape from there, officials believe.