Islamabad
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), as part of the technical assistance to support the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to tackle the outbreak of desert locust in the country, has handed over 20 Ultra Low Volume (ULV) pesticides micron sprayers for vehicles, 1303 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and 100 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite communicator devices to the Ministry of National Food Security & Research.
Another 30 ULV sprayers are in the pipeline and will be delivered later this summer. The procurement of the sprayers for pesticide and protective gear, funded by the Government of United Kingdom through its Department for International Development (DFID), and the GPS devices, procured by FAO through its core funding, aims to boost desert locust surveillance and control efforts of the Government of Pakistan and protect livelihoods and food security of millions of small holder farmers across the country who are already affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This upgraded equipment for control operations and new technology for surveillance will contribute to scaling up ground surveillance and control operations that are currently underway to curb the largest desert locust infestation in 25 years in the country.—INP
