ISLAMABAD: The menace of desert locusts has now been completely brought under control in the country, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations terming Pakistan’s massive anti-locust operation as ‘ideal’.
“Thana Bulla Khan Taluka in Jamshoro district was the last affected area in Pakistan where control operation continues and by Saturday the area will be cleared from locust,” said FAO National Coordinator for Locust Control Operation in Pakistan Dr Mubarik Ahmed. “Lasbela, the coastal district of Balochistan, is now completely free from locusts.”
During the weekly meeting of the National Locust Control Centre on Friday, Dr Mubarik said that there was no threat of desert locust attack in Pakistan in the near future as locusts have been eliminated from Somalia, Iran and India.
The government has been taking numerous anticipatory actions in collaboration with FAO, neighboring countries, and with the support of international partners, to address the threat and be prepared for a timely and effective response.
FAO has provided support to the locust surveillance and control programme in Pakistan by providing technical and operational assistance from the very early onset. The adoption of new technology has allowed a faster and more effective assessment of the locust infestation and helped focus and stage control operations.
Chairing the NLCC meeting, National Food Security and Research Minister Syed Fakhr Imam termed the locust control operations as “exemplary”. During the past week, he noted, around 12,514 square kiliometers of area has been surveyed.
