ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to face up to Rs800 billion in financial losses, if the ongoing locust attack in various parts of the country is not controlled in time, which can also create food security situation.
This was the crux of a discussion with government officials, retired and in-service, representatives of farmers and agricultural experts, all of them urging the relevant federal and provincial departments to shun politics on the matter and join hands to deal with the situation.
They said that collective losses to agriculture economy could reach Rs800 billion mark as it was not only posing a serious danger to paddy, maize, sugarcane, fruits, cotton, vegetables crops but fodder crops for livestock are also under serious threat.
According to agricultural experts, it can become more fatal a pandemic than coronavirus as presently locusts was attacking India, Pakistan, Iran, Oman and other countries, at a time when most of the crops such as cotton, paddy, maize, fodder and vegetables are in initial stages, and have soft plants.
If the problem is not treated properly and immediately it will destroy standing crops on millions of acres and cause a famine-like situation.
Therefore, to deal with the locust problem regional efforts are also needed.
As another expected more bigger attack coupled with present swarms will destroy standings crops in Iran, Pakistan and India.
This will result in almost 1.5 billion people facing serious food security threat.
They said that livestock sector of the country was also facing serious threat as locust attack on fodder crops, which are essential food for millions of livestock of the country and contribute approximately 56 percent of value addition in agriculture, and nearly 11 percent to the gross domestic product, with major contribution to agriculture value-added services from providing raw material to leather products.
Current population of farm animals in Pakistan consist of 23.34 million buffaloes, 22.42 million cattle, 24.24 million sheep, 49.14 million goats, 0.77 million camels and 319 million poultry population.
If any serious damage is caused to the fodder, survival of livestock will become impossible.
They said that desert locust is a polyphagus gregarious, pest, multiplies in millions and can stay alive in harsh environment.
It may cause famine and once settled in any ecology, it is difficult to eliminate completely.
Most of the time, it multiplies in non-crop area, un-noticeably and moves to crop area in big swarms, sometime as big as it takes hours to pass.
According to them, locust management includes intensive monitoring, movement of swarms, early warning, pesticide applications ground operation or aerial operation.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Pakistan, at present 52 districts of Pakistan are under locust attack, which include 31 districts of Balochistan, 10 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 of Punjab and seven of Sindh.
The 31 affected districts of Balochistan are known for fruit growing and livestock growing areas, the farming community has urged the federal and provincial governments to take necessary steps, otherwise standing crops of cherry, grapes, peaches, almond, pine nuts, apples, pomegranates, vegetables and fodder will be ruined by the locust swarms.
The swarms of locusts have also attacked mango and cotton belt areas of Punjab including Multan, Shujaabad, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Jhang, Kot Addu, Layyah, Rojhan, and other areas.
While it has also attacked and damaged cotton, mango, sugarcane, maize and other farms growing areas in parts of desert and semi deserts districts of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Recent reports issued by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned the locust invasion may cause a potentially serious food security crisis in Pakistan.
The report has mentioned Pakistan's total 38 percent of the area, of which 60 percent in Balochistan, 25 percent in Sindh and 15 percent of Punjab, are breeding grounds for the locust.
The first report issued early in May 2020 and again updated on May 27, 2020 said that adults are forming groups and small swarms in spring breeding areas in the southwest Balochistan and the Indus valley in Punjab.
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