Faisalabad
Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan has said that the government is taking various measures to control locust attack. However, the agricultural scientists should find a durable solution to the issue by taking farming community on board. He said without proper participation of farming community, no research and development work in agriculture could produce results.
He was addressing an awareness session on locust control, held for farming community at new Senate Hall of University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). He said all-out efforts were being made to address locust issue and other agricultural challenges. He said there was dire need to eradicate locusts at the initial three stages of its life before becoming adult. He asked the farming community to help the institutions to identify locust breeding spots so that proper measures could be taken for its elimination. Meanwhile, it is reported that the anti-locust operations had carried out in 9, 297 square kilometers approximately 2.2927 million acres across 31 affected districts of the country in order to eradicate the pests attack and to save agriculture land from its harmful impacts. As many as 966 joint teams comprising over 5,082 people took part in the anti-locusts operation in 31districts of the country, according to details released by the National Locust Control Center (NLCC).
The joint teams of the Ministry of National Food Security, provincial departments of agriculture and Pakistan Army conducting a comprehensive survey and control operation against locusts in different districts of the country and so far 388,378 square kilometers (90.55) million acres have been surveyed. About 5,082 people and 648 vehicles took part in anti-locust operation in above mentioned districts of the country, it added.
In Punjab Province, about 234,128 acres had surveyed during last 24 hours and controll operation was performed over 999 acres. More then 2,282 people and 323 vehicles took part in this exercise, it added. So far, under anti-locust drive the survey was completed over an area of 28,300,000 approximately (2.83) million acres and operation completed over 949,910 acres.
