LAKKI MARWAT: The locust swarms have become a significant danger to agriculture in southern areas as the flying locusts have been making incredible harm since the beginning of current year.
In February, the southern locale including Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank went under attack, provoking the legislature to declare emergency and launch an activity to spare wheat, gram and different yields from the bugs.
Some association gatherings in Lakki Marwat including Behramkhel, Titterkhel, Darra Pezu, Ahmadkhel and Darra Tang were severely affected by the attack.
The locust swarms could have made a significant harm to standing wheat and gram crops had the district administration and the agriculture department not acted immediately. In Lakki Marwat, the residents cautioned the administration when they saw locusts in their individual regions.
The administration paid attention to the alerts by ranchers and shaped various boards of trustees to direct handle exercises and screen the whole procedure of taking out locusts through manual and mechanical splash.
It had also framed a crisis reaction and control room as preventive measures to stop insect infestation in the region. Comparable activities and promptness were seen in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank areas.
“After hectic efforts agriculture department with support of district administration and other stakeholders saved the farmlands from locust attack during the months of February and March,” claimed district director of agriculture Abdul Qayyum.
He said that the insects stayed for a couple of days in the district before being eliminated by agriculture department. “The department’s field staff and experts successfully eliminated locust by conducting pesticide spray in the affected areas till mid March,” he added.
The authority said that pesticides spray helped with defeating the attack of locusts in Lakki Marwat and other southern regions. In any case, Lakki Marwat faced a new attack of locusts in April.
The bugs were found in huge number in the country regions from where they were totally killed through pesticides spray during February and March. The new attack by insects panicked and they called for taking preventive measures to spare their rural terrains.
“The locusts are posing a serious threat to vegetable and melon fields, orchards and green trees,” said a farmer. He expressed surprise over the resurgence of insects and said that adult locusts could cause agricultural damage if authorities concerned did not implement preventive measures immediately.
The ranchers likewise scrutinized the cases of specialists worried to have wiped out grasshopper swarms toward the start of current year. “In the event that the cases are valid, at that point how did insects return in parts of the locale,” they addressed.
The specialists of horticulture division, notwithstanding, contended that getting great yield of wheat and gram by ranchers in spite of grasshopper assault in February was because of the endeavors by field laborers, farming office and region organization.
About the resurgence of nuisances, the locale executive of horticulture office said grasshoppers laid eggs during their couple of days remain in the area in February. He said that sprites came out of eggs and rose as grown-up insects in April, provoking all partners to restart activity to crush them.
“The teams of agriculture department with support of district administration and army continued anti-locust operation during lockdown period, fasting month and Eid days,” he said.
