Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Mar 12, 2020 19:12:15 GMT 2
(.#A.087).- In Pakistan, the worst locust invasion in almost 30 years.
In Pakistan, the worst locust invasion in almost 30 years.
(Pipli Pahar) In the Pipli Pahar region, the clash of metal utensils breaks the serenity of the wheat fields. At the origin of the tintamarre, peasants are trying to scare the locusts, which has been the worst invasion in Pakistan for almost 30 years.
Posted on March 04, 2020 at 7:43 am Updated at 8:46 am
KANEEZ FATIMA
FRANCE MEDIA AGENCY
Clouds of pesticides darken the air every day at sunrise. Villagers then pick up shovels of dead insects, which they give to officials for a reward of 20 Pakistani rupees (18 Canadian cents) per kilo.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
"I have not seen such an invasion in my entire career," said Shehbaz Akhtar, an official responsible for locust eradication in the Punjab province, Pakistan's grain store.
Pakistan is experiencing its worst locust attack in 27 years, federal and local officials told the AFP.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
Heavy rain and cyclones have triggered an "unprecedented" increase in locusts last year in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the UN.
The swarms then left the Baluchistan desert (southwest), near the Iranian border, where they usually breed, to fall on Punjab and Sindh (South).
The locusts had already caused heavy damage in north-west India, neighboring Pakistan, in recent months. A year of extreme weather conditions also saw them devastate a dozen East African countries this year.
In Pakistan, there is no official data on how much land has been affected or how much it threatens food security or even the economy of the country, whose agriculture accounts for 20% of GDP.
Defeat the locusts
Authorities, who say they are conducting local investigations, many of which are still underway, have declared a national emergency. A "combat operation" has been launched to "defeat" the locusts, says Shehbaz Akhtar.
"We spray twice a day here," agrees Fayyaz Azeem, perched on a tractor, with a mask over his face and gloved hands, to spread pesticides, once at dawn and again at night.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
But the method is slow, faced with swarms that can travel 150 km daily. Often when locusts are killed in one field, they have already destroyed the next. The chemicals are also so strong that they make the grain unreadable afterwards.
The friend and neighbor of China offered to help with the scourge, sending teams of experts to assess the crisis, said Muhammad Hashim Popalzai, secretary at the ministry of food security, when questioned by the AFP.
Based on their recommendations, Beijing could offer aerial spraying - a much faster and more effective method. Pakistan may also import pesticides from China.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
Vigilance
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is also involved, according to Mr. Popalzai, allowing meetings to be held between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers with terrible relations, to prevent swarms from spread.
But for many, the damage is already done. A disaster when "our livelihoods depend on the crops," said Muhammad Ismaeel Wattoo, another farmer affected by the plague in Pipli Pahar.
Officials in Sindh province fear the impact of locusts on cotton production, which peaks during the summer. According to the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, around 40% of all crops have been destroyed "in and around Karachi".
Zafar Hayyat, chairman of the Pakistan Farmers' Bureau, blames the authorities. The latest invasion of this magnitude was so long ago that "the government was no longer vigilant," he said.
The authorities must also remain on the alert because "after the breeding season, there is a risk that the swarms return in June," he warns.
But for some at Pipli Pahar, the efforts already made were too weak, or too late. Sitting at the corner of a wheat field with his cow, Rafiya Bibi observes the clouds of pesticides that surround her.
Locusts have already destroyed her rapeseed, sunflower, chilli and tobacco crops, which she paid for with a government loan of 45,000 rupees (260 euros), a fortune in rural areas.
Without a harvest, she fears that she will not be able to repay her loan. And sighs, "All I have left is to cry. "
F I N .
In Pakistan, the worst locust invasion in almost 30 years.
(Pipli Pahar) In the Pipli Pahar region, the clash of metal utensils breaks the serenity of the wheat fields. At the origin of the tintamarre, peasants are trying to scare the locusts, which has been the worst invasion in Pakistan for almost 30 years.
Posted on March 04, 2020 at 7:43 am Updated at 8:46 am
KANEEZ FATIMA
FRANCE MEDIA AGENCY
Clouds of pesticides darken the air every day at sunrise. Villagers then pick up shovels of dead insects, which they give to officials for a reward of 20 Pakistani rupees (18 Canadian cents) per kilo.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
"I have not seen such an invasion in my entire career," said Shehbaz Akhtar, an official responsible for locust eradication in the Punjab province, Pakistan's grain store.
Pakistan is experiencing its worst locust attack in 27 years, federal and local officials told the AFP.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
Heavy rain and cyclones have triggered an "unprecedented" increase in locusts last year in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the UN.
The swarms then left the Baluchistan desert (southwest), near the Iranian border, where they usually breed, to fall on Punjab and Sindh (South).
The locusts had already caused heavy damage in north-west India, neighboring Pakistan, in recent months. A year of extreme weather conditions also saw them devastate a dozen East African countries this year.
In Pakistan, there is no official data on how much land has been affected or how much it threatens food security or even the economy of the country, whose agriculture accounts for 20% of GDP.
Defeat the locusts
Authorities, who say they are conducting local investigations, many of which are still underway, have declared a national emergency. A "combat operation" has been launched to "defeat" the locusts, says Shehbaz Akhtar.
"We spray twice a day here," agrees Fayyaz Azeem, perched on a tractor, with a mask over his face and gloved hands, to spread pesticides, once at dawn and again at night.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
But the method is slow, faced with swarms that can travel 150 km daily. Often when locusts are killed in one field, they have already destroyed the next. The chemicals are also so strong that they make the grain unreadable afterwards.
The friend and neighbor of China offered to help with the scourge, sending teams of experts to assess the crisis, said Muhammad Hashim Popalzai, secretary at the ministry of food security, when questioned by the AFP.
Based on their recommendations, Beijing could offer aerial spraying - a much faster and more effective method. Pakistan may also import pesticides from China.
PHOTO ARIF ALI, AFP
Vigilance
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is also involved, according to Mr. Popalzai, allowing meetings to be held between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers with terrible relations, to prevent swarms from spread.
But for many, the damage is already done. A disaster when "our livelihoods depend on the crops," said Muhammad Ismaeel Wattoo, another farmer affected by the plague in Pipli Pahar.
Officials in Sindh province fear the impact of locusts on cotton production, which peaks during the summer. According to the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, around 40% of all crops have been destroyed "in and around Karachi".
Zafar Hayyat, chairman of the Pakistan Farmers' Bureau, blames the authorities. The latest invasion of this magnitude was so long ago that "the government was no longer vigilant," he said.
The authorities must also remain on the alert because "after the breeding season, there is a risk that the swarms return in June," he warns.
But for some at Pipli Pahar, the efforts already made were too weak, or too late. Sitting at the corner of a wheat field with his cow, Rafiya Bibi observes the clouds of pesticides that surround her.
Locusts have already destroyed her rapeseed, sunflower, chilli and tobacco crops, which she paid for with a government loan of 45,000 rupees (260 euros), a fortune in rural areas.
Without a harvest, she fears that she will not be able to repay her loan. And sighs, "All I have left is to cry. "
F I N .
