New Delhi: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has asked the country to be vigilant for the next month regarding the locust attack. The FAO has issued this warning at a time when the country is facing the biggest attack of locusts in the last 26 years. The government is using modern equipment and technologies such as drones and bell helicopters to control locusts in such situations. Rajasthan has been the most affected by the locust attack. States like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Bihar have also been affected.
The FAO said on Friday that with the coming of the monsoon, the locust contingent that went from the Indo-Pakistan border to the northern states could return to Rajasthan again. Apart from these, locusts continue to come from Iran and Pakistan. A team of locusts from Africa may also arrive around mid-July. The FAO said that along with India and Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia should also be vigilant for the next four weeks.
According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, flocks of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are active in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Dausa, and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan and Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh. However, the government is continuing a control operation to check the damage caused by locust attacks to crops. A Bell helicopter made its maiden flight to Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan on July 4 and sprayed the chemical in the targeted areas. In the midnight of July 3-4, control was carried out by the Local Circle Office (LCO) at 25 locations in six districts of Rajasthan (Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, and Dausa) and at two locations in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. Gone.
In addition, the state’s agricultural departments conducted a campaign to control the scattered population of small groups and locusts at four places in Jhansi and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh and at Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. So far, loco control operations have been carried out by LCOs in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in a total area of 1,35,207 hectares. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, In Haryana and Bihar, State Governments have also taken control measures in an area of 1,13,215.5 hectares.
The ministry said, “There has been no significant damage to crops in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Haryana. However, there have been some minor losses in some districts of Rajasthan. ” Currently, 60 control teams with spray vehicles have been deployed in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. More than 200 central government employees are engaged in grasshopper control operations. In addition, five companies with 12 drones have been deployed in Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur, and Phalodi in Rajasthan.
