Desert locust infestation raises fears of food insecurity in Pakistan

Pakistani authorities are struggling to deal with an infestation of desert locusts in one of the country's poorest regions where millions of the insects are eating crops, raising fears of food insecurity.

The insects have damaged cotton, wheat, maize and other crops in the southern province of Sindh since June. Favourable weather conditions and a delayed response by the authorities have helped them breed and launch attacks from the desert on crop areas and nearby towns.  

Swarms of locusts that landed at the venue of a political rally in October hit the headlines.

"Wheat crops over 4,000 hectares have been damaged. We fear missing the production target set for the province by at least 50 percent this year," Nabi Baksh Sathio, senior vice president at the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, told journalists on Wednesday.

Pakistan set a wheat production target of 27 million tonnes this year.

Last year, Sindh contributed 5.5 million tons, he said. "We are working day and night to deal with the locust invasion which is getting alarming day by day," said Ismail Rahu, the provincial agriculture minister.  

He said more than 1,000 people are using machines and two small aeroplanes to spray pesticide on thousands of hectares every day.

Rahu said that the locust had come all the way from Yemen through Iran. A survey was under way to assess the losses, he added.

The situation has gone out of control and raised fears of food insecurity," said Nisar Khaskhali, a farmer in Khairpur district whose cotton crop has already been damaged, while his wheat crop is under threat.    (dpa)