Sindh Minister for Agriculture Mohammed Ismail Rahu has said that according to the agriculture experts of the world the swarms of locust attacks could be increased ten times more than those of the last year. He informed that the season of two main crops of cotton and rice was about to start as well as monsoon season was going to start soon which was also the breeding season for locusts as well therefore three months of June, July and August were important in this regard.

This he said while presiding over a meeting about preventive measures for Locust attacks at Agriculture Extension Office, Shahbaz Building, Hyderabad on Tuesday.

The minister further said that swarms of locusts were attacking in Sindh like last year and this danger could not be avoided. He directed the officers concerned for stopping the breeding of locusts in deserted areas of Sindh which according to him could be effective. He said that all resources would be utilized for the elimination of locusts. He asked the officers concerned to take this task as challenge and utilize their expertise and experience to eliminate locusts and save standing crops. He underlined the need for focusing Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions situated near to Thar Desert which was the breeding area of locusts.

He said that Sindh Agriculture Department had remained busy for elimination of locusts for one year. Rahu also directed the officers concerned to resolve the problems of growers.

Director General Agriculture Hidayatullah Chajro briefed the meeting about preventive measures for locusts.

The participants of the meeting also gave suggestions for the prevention of locusts. Director Agriculture Shaukat Hussain Mastoi informed the meeting about the present situation of Subzi Mandi and other related issues.

Later Talking to media men, the minister said that the locusts had been present in Sindh for one year and couple of days earlier locusts attacked on crops in different parts of Hyderabad Division. He said that the Sindh government was continuously trying hard to prevent locusts. He informed that the different agriculture institutes of the world issued warning of locusts attacks in our region. He said that after Coronavirus the locusts were the biggest problem for Pakistan, the situation would be worsened in coming days, as locusts from Iran and India could attack in our country, he added. He informed that 57 teams were working for preventing locust attacks and now 41 more teams had been added for this purpose. He said that we were trying to make teams ready at taluka level to spray at any time and added that a helpline number had also been given to growers to inform about locusts' attack. Replying a question, he said that there was no conflict of Sindh with the federal government, we just demanded to federal Plant Protection Department for aerial spray.

He said that losses to crops were being estimated and soon details would be issued.

To a question, he said that due to Covid-19 the problems were being faced on wheat procurement but the Sindh government would achieve its target of wheat procurement. Replying another question, he said that due to Coronavirus, the export of mangoes would be affected.