Plant Protection Department (PPD) Director-General Rashid Bashir Mazari on Monday ruled out an immediate attack of locusts in the country, saying the department was fully equipped to cope such situation, if any. Speaking in a PTV programme, Mazari said the survey teams of the department were fully alert and busy in tracing the presence of insects in potential breeding areas all across the country. He said globally there are three breeding zones namely western, central and eastern zones.
The western zone includes South African countries, the Central zone includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Sudan and Egypt, while Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan are included in eastern zone, he explained.
In Pakistan, Mazari said the winter breeding area is spreading from Makran to Kharan while summer breeding area include Thar Desert from Khairpur to Cholistan.
He said the presence of locusts was observed at the border areas of Sudan and Nigeria and it was being treated there.
In Pakistan, he said the Plant Protection Department was equipped with all the necessary equipment, pesticide, and fully trained and efficient staff.
He said the department remains in close contacts with all the neighbouring countries in order to monitor the breeding prospects and movement of locusts.
To a question, he said the insect belongs to grass hopper's family having 20,000 species. At the stage when it learns to fly, 50 million locusts are found in an area of one square kilometer, he said.
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