KARACHI: Chinese experts landed in Pakistan the other day to assist the country in fight against locust since Beijing has experience of battling similar infestations, Arab News reported.
Billions of locusts have been destroying standing crops across Pakistan and an agreement signed by United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FWO) Chief and Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar will enable the country to avail $700,000 from the organisation for the fight against the locust.
Pakistan has declared a national emergency over locust swarms since the country is facing the worst locust infestation in two decades. The locust attacks have damaged about about 80,000 hectares of crop and pastures in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces.
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“At the invitation of the government of Pakistan, an expert team controlling the locusts sent by the Government of China will visit the relevant areas in Sindh, Balochistan provinces from February 23 to March 4, 2020,” a statement issued on Sunday by the Consulate General’s office said.
Meanwhile, the ambassador of China Yao Jing has also assured to consider supply of pesticides and spraying equipment to Pakistan as an emergency project to combat the locust attack.
The ambassador called on Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, says a press release issued the other day. The minister apprised the ambassador about the requirement of pesticides and aerial support to control the locust in Pakistan particularly Sindh and Balochistan.
He informed the Chinese envoy about the current situation of affected areas and how the locust was spreading there. The federal minister also underlined the importance of the measures taken by neighbouring countries to control locust as these insects keep on moving on vast areas.
