Pakistan fights one of the worst pests of pilgrim lobsters ( Schistocerca cancellata ), in almost three decades, which is decimating crops and worries the authorities.
In the midst of the locust invasion, desperate farmers in the village of Pipli Pahar have resorted to shouting and banging pots to try to scare away insects.
Every day, at dawn, pesticides darken the air. Then the locals collect shovels of dead insects, which they deliver to the officials in exchange for a reward of 20 Pakistani rupees (12 cents, 13 cents) per kilo.
According to the UN, heavy rains and cyclones have triggered an “unprecedented” multiplication of lobster populations last year on the Arabian peninsula.
Also, the insects were deployed and wreaked havoc on farms from East Africa to India before arriving in Pakistan from the desert on the southwest border of the country with Iran.
In Pakistan, there are no official data on which area has been affected or to what extent it threatens food security or even the country’s economy, whose agriculture accounts for 20% of GDP.
AGAINST LOCUST PESTS
The crisis is so severe that the government has declared an emergency at the national level and has urgently asked for help from the international community.
“Here we spray twice a day,” says Fayaz Azeem, behind the wheel of a tractor, with a mask on his face and gloves on his hands, to spread pesticides, once at dawn and once at night.
But the method is slow, compared to swarms that can travel 150 km per day. Frequently, when lobsters are killed in one field, they have already destroyed the next. In addition, the chemicals are so strong that they make cereals unfit for consumption.
On the other hand, officials from the southern province of Sindh fear that the infestation will devastate the supply of cotton, the local commercial crop, before harvesting in the coming months.
China offered to help with the plague. He sent teams of experts to assess the crisis, Muhamad Hashim Popalzai, secretary of the Ministry of Food Security, told AFP.
Beijing could propose aerial spraying, a much faster and more efficient method.
Locust invasions continue in northern Kenya. Here our team is trying to chase them away close to camp. The locusts have affected so much. We are grateful to everyone for their efforts in tackling this. pic.twitter.com/KninrLFLnb
— Ewaso Lions (@EwasoLions) January 18, 2020
SURVEILLANCE
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also been involved, says Popalzai, favoring meetings between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers with bad diplomatic relations, to prevent the spread.
The authorities must remain alert because “after the breeding season, there is a risk that the swarms will return in June,” he warned.
Other farmers in Pipli Pahar estimate that efforts were too late and were scarce.
Lobsters have already destroyed their crops of rapeseed, sunflower, peppers and tobacco. Its massive presence puts plantations and environmental balance at risk.