Locusts move rapidly, destroying 40% of Pakistan's crop

According to the news network june 11, foreign media reported that the locust swarms in Pakistan, the threat to the economy is more serious than the epidemic, pests threaten agricultural output, farmers' livelihoods and food securityThe head of the crop protection department of Pakistan's Ministry of Food Security and Research, Farak Naz, said Pakistan is now intift edited by locusts in 57 million hectares, while the country's total cultivation area is 23 million hectares, Bloomberg News reported on June 9He said that while not all of the locust-affected areas are arable land, locusts are moving rapidlyreported that agriculture is Pakistan's second largest economic sector, accounting for about 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product, providing a livelihood for half of the country's workforceIn the face of devastating losses, the authorities now have to divert funds from the fight against the plague"This is a more serious problem for Pakistan than the outbreak," said Ahmed Jawad, afruit exporter and adviser to the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan's main business lobbyIn the face of an outbreak you can save by keeping your social distance, but if locusts come, you can't escape the famine crisis"crops, from wheat to beans and oilseeds and even mangoes, have been affectedCotton is considered the most vulnerable to locust attacks, and cotton-based products account for about half of Pakistan's exports, and the damage caused by the locust plague will worsen the economic outlook as the country's economy is expected to grow negative growth for the first time in 68 yearsusually, in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, where heavy rains follow a drought, swarms of desert locusts appear irregularlythe threat of locusts looms as Pakistan lifts its anti-epidemic banFor now, the authorities have to step up their support for agricultureChief Minister of Sindh province, Pakistan's second-largest crop-producing region, ordered the release of 132 million rupees ($807,000) of emergency government funding for the fight against the diseaseHe also approved another Rs286 million grant for the purchase of chemicals and 25 vehicles that spray insecticides locusts devoured more than 166.7 million hectares of wheat, oilseeds, beans, feed and vegetable crops in Sindh province, accounting for 13% of the province's crop area More than 1.75 million hectares of cotton, sugar cane and other crops are also threatened by locust plagues reported that the Ministry of Food's Naz said the government used four aircraft and six military helicopters to spray the crops to kill insects, and plans to buy six aircraft from the U.S "air tractor" company Farmers are trying to do everything they can to scare away locusts, such as drumming and driving tractors The locusts are moving at about 150 kilometers per hour, and all the crops are eaten everywhere they go Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive of Arif Habib Commodities, a subsidiary of Alif Habib, a , which provides everything from fertilizer to financial services, points out that locust plagues can destroy 40 per cent of Pakistan's main crops "It's a serious threat," said Mehanti Pesticides should be obtained to eliminate locusts and save crops " Source: