NEW DELHI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- India's federal Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has stepped up locust control operations as the swarm outbreak has spread to five states -- Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, officials said Thursday.
According to the ministry, 200 Locust Circle Offices (LCO) were conducting survey and control operations in close coordination with local administration and agriculture field machinery in affected states to combat the menace.
"In Rajasthan 21 districts, in Madhya Pradesh, 18 districts, in Punjab one district and in Gujarat two districts have undertaken locust control until now," the ministry said, adding that "For effective control of locusts beyond scheduled desert areas, temporary control camps have been established in Ajmer, Chittorgarh and Dausa in Rajasthan; Mandsaur, Ujjain and Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh."
Until Tuesday, control operations against locusts have been carried out on 47,308 hectares area in 303 places in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The LCOs in coordination with district authorities have roped in fire brigades, survey vehicles, control vehicles with spray equipment and tractor mounted sprayers to sprinkle pesticide for effective locust control.
Reports said in Maharashtra, swarms of locusts have been found in Nagpur district moving toward Ramtek city. The swarms are said to have first entered farms in Fetri, Khangaon in Katol in Nagpur district and in Ashti taluka in Wardha district, where they damaged orange crop and vegetable plantations in some areas.
Farmers said they hired laborers and used age-old techniques like beating drums and vessels to scare the locusts. Even in Uttar Pradesh, the farmers have kept vehicles parked alongside parks, and played the high-pitched music.
Locust, a large-sized insect is a short-horned grasshopper of migratory habit, which attacks crops or green vegetations. It causes extensive damage due to its feeding behaviour.
Officials say the locust swarms usually enter the scheduled desert area of India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June and July with the advent of monsoon. This year, however, the incursions of locust hoppers and pink swarms have been reported much earlier.
The migratory pest has the ability to fly hundreds of kilometres collectively. Enditem
