APART from Covid-19, continued presence of locusts is alarmingly threatening livelihoods and food security of a large segment of population. In fact it is the biggest ever locust infestation since 1993 and urgent steps need to be taken on war footing to save agriculture sector and those associated with it, otherwise, consequences could be disastrous for the country.
Inaction is something that the country cannot afford at this critical juncture when Corona Virus is also already taking a heavy toll on country’s economy. The locust attack has already ravaged crops on millions of acres especially in Balochistan and Sindh and the threat is mounting with each passing day as flying insects are multiplying into millions, with onset of their reproductive season. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday also asked federal government to immediately implement the National Action Plan formulated to control locust attack. It was in the month of February that national emergency was declared to battle locusts with an allocation of Rs7.2b. However, it appears that efforts to control the deadly insects have been overshadowed by outbreak of Corona Virus. The matter, however, can no longer be overlooked and the very report of Food and Agriculture Organisation should be an eye opener both for federal and provincial authorities. Terming the infestation as a serious threat to food security of Pakistan, the FAO warned that it could inflict losses to the tune of Rs 600b to Pakistani economy if authorities failed to take timely and full-fledged action.
In our view, these swarms should not be taken a threat less than Covid-19. A dedicated forum on the pattern of National Command and Operations Centre needs to be established to ensure a strong and effective inter provincial coordination on this serious matter. Also sufficient number of planes and drones as well as other equipment including pesticides should immediately be procured to carry out sprays in affected areas including breeding regions of the pest. All resources should be mobilised to protect the agriculture sector from this menace. The farmers whose crops have been damaged by the locusts must be fully compensated, enabling them to harvest the next crop. At this hour, securing agriculture amounts to securing country’s economy.
