VIENTIANE, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Twenty villages of Pakbeng district in Lao northern Luang Prabang province have been facing plagues of locust populations, as over 260 hectares of cash crops in the district were reported as being infested by the insects.
"A recent survey shows that the locusts are now laying eggs in eight villages, affecting about 7,000 hectares," Phonxay Vannadeth, director of Pakbeng Agriculture Department, was quoted by state-run news agency KPL as saying on Wednesday.
The worst-hit areas were rice fields, maize and other kinds of cash crops bearing green leaves including bamboo and bananas.
Over 100 hectares of bamboo, cash crops, upland rice and maize were destroyed by locust infestations last year in northern provinces of Huaphan and Xiengkhuang.
Last year, authorities of Ngoy district in Luang Prabang province spent more than 100 million Lao kip (over 12,200 U.S. dollars) to buy chemicals to kill the locusts that have been destroying cash crops at 92 locations in 30 villages.
The authorities have also exerted control and preventive measures against locust populations, including a ban on moving live locusts outside the infested areas.
