Agriculture dept springs into action to manage locust outbreak
The brown locust poses a huge threat to agricultural production in the country.
Locust outbreaks are not new in southern Africa. The brown locust is endemic to Namibia and the Karoo. But over the past 50 years, despite modern insecticides, locust outbreaks have intensified. Picture: iStock
With maize fields in the Free State under threat due to the brown locust outbreak, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development says it is being dealt with accordingly.
The matter was discussed during a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on agriculture, land reform and rural development on Friday.
The brown locust outbreak has already threatened parts of the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
The Northern Cape is the worst hit of the provinces, with close to one million hectares of land over 10 districts damaged the outbreak, Jacaranda FM reported.
According to the agriculture department’s climate change and disaster management director, Dr Ikalafeng Kgakatsi, the outbreak was being managed with measures put in place at least twice a day.
ALSO READ: Southern Africa’s locust outbreaks not a plague – yet
Kgakatsi said locust control officers were provided with insecticides, protective clothing and spray pumps to assist in managing the outbreak, with 10 district officers already dispatched to different areas.
“The current locust outbreak is under control where we are controlling it on a daily basis. The control normally happens in the morning and in the evening. We are thinking of doing this control throughout this season,” he said.
Locusts are a threat to harvesting as a swarm of them are able to eat in one day food meant to feed 35,000 people, according to Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations’ regional emergency agronomist, Sina Luchen.
A swarm of desert locusts filling the sky near farmlands in Mauritania. FAO’s Emergency Centre for Locust Operations have implemented control operations to limit the spread and harm of desert locusts. Picture: ©FAO/Giampiero Diana
4 July, 2020, Godobjiran, Nugal Region, Somalia. Abubakar Abdiweli, national survey from Puntland Ministry of Environment and Agriculture use the elocust3 system during a locust swarms at desert of Godobjiran, Nugal Region, Somalia. Picture: FAO
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