India is in the process of supplying 20,000 litres of malathion to Iran to deal with the locust swarms that threaten to ravage fields and could lead to a huge food crisis if not properly managed.
Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson for the Ministry of External affairs, said that India have developed a regional cooperation in dealing with the locust problem. The breeding grounds for locusts are in Iran and the Sistan-Balochistan border of Pakistan, as well as in Punjab province in Pakistan. The exceptionally good rains last year has led to an explosion in their population.
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Already massive swarms of locusts have entered India from across the border and travelled as far as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Although there is no immediate threat to crops, given that the rabi harvest is already in the granary and the kharif sowing is yet to begin, these locusts are ravaging vegetable fields. In Maharashtra, they have attacked orange orchards, too.
India and Pakistan have established mechanisms for cooperation with the locust swarms; they hold six meetings a year at the level of Locust Warning Officers. They also maintain a hotline during the locust season.
Srivastava said that the meetings and cooperation kick in around June every year, as the locust swarms start building up around that time. This year, since the swarms built up early, India had requested the meetings to be held in advance in May. Pakistan has not responded to India’s suggestion yet.
India had also offered Pakistan supplies of malathion and even offered to spray the pesticide in the breeding grounds in the country.
