Agricultural Output Likely To Be Affected As Locust Attacks Continue In Pakistan

Agricultural Output Likely To Be Affected As Locust Attacks Continue In Pakistan
Food security in Pakistan is under threat as locusts swarm all across the food crops in several districts of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan. Their attacks have become severer and some of the crop fields affected are reported to be in Multan, Muzzaffargarh, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur in Punjab and Sanghar, Matiari, and Ghotki in Sindh.

To make up for the lack of assistance from the provincial or federal governments, farmers have resorted to drumming a loud wave of noise in an attempt to scare the locusts away.

Some of the crops that they destroyed include mango, cotton, and sugarcane which are also the main agricultural revenue for the fiscal year. 

They have also seeped into markets and shops in the town areas which lead the people on streets into panic and spraying anti-repellents in hopes of killing them. 

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has announced a 24-hour hotline at 051-111-222-999 for the complaints regarding locusts swarming crop fields. They have also claimed to help with spraying the pests away.

Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal has said that they are fully equipped with pesticides for dealing with the locust crisis.

On Wednesday, Bilawal Bhutto accused the federal government of not taking the required precautions and doing disaster control in Sindh. He said he reminded the federal government time and again but no attention was paid to his plea, and now the locust attack is going to be a massive hit to the already suffering economy because of coronavirus crisis.

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