India, Pakistan will have to fight this war together

The extent of the problem this year is greater than similar instances in the past. This year, 17 districts of Rajasthan have been affected by this problem. Of these, the locusts have attacked 7 districts for the first time.

New Delhi: The swarm of locusts which has destroyed vast amounts of crops in the Middle East and Pakistan has once again entered India through the western borders.

India has now decided to fight together with Pakistan and Iran against these destructive swarms that destroy crops worth crores of rupees every year. India has also offered pesticide supplies to Pakistan for this.

Iran has accepted this Indian proposal of war against the desert enemy, while Pakistan’s response is yet to come.

Locusts causing havoc in the border districts of Rajasthan have now entered state capital Jaipur. The swarm of locusts, which is destroying crops from Jaisalmer to Barmer, is now wreaking havoc on the cities as well.

People living in high-rise buildings have also been forced to face the terror of locusts as these swarms of pests have invaded several cities and towns of Rajasthan.

Swarms of locusts have the ability to travel 200 kilometers in a day. In one day, a reasonably large swarm can consume an amount of crop equal to the daily consumption of ten elephants, 25 camels or 2500 people.

This swarm of locusts, synonymous with terror for farmers, has traveled from Iran and Afghanistan to India ahead of time. It is also difficult to stop the outbreak of these grasshopper groups reaching several districts like Jaisalmer and Barmer, bordering the India-Pakistan international border, because at present, about 70 percent of the posts of Agriculture Department of Rajasthan are lying vacant.

As a result, swarms of locusts have now reached Nagaur, Ajmer, Pali, Sirohi, Sikar, Bhilwara, Chittor, Rajsamand, Bundi, Sikar and Jhunjhunu beyond the border districts. After 50-55 years, there has been a tornado of locusts in Ajmer district, whereas it has entered Jaipur for the first time.

From the month of May last year to the month of February this year, locusts have attacked in 12 districts of Rajasthan. The locusts destroyed crops worth nearly one thousand crore rupees standing on 2.25 lakh hectares of land in the seven worst affected districts.

However, in Rajasthan, sowing will be done only after the monsoon. So this time the loss of crops is relatively less. But the grasshoppers are harming the vegetation including vegetables, green fodder and carrots.

In order to save their crops, the farmers are trying to chase away the locusts by using traditional methods such as banging thalis and other utensils.

Steps taken by government

The Rajasthan government awarded Rs 90.16 crore to 59,878 farmers of Barmer, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore and Pali affected by locust attacks from 2019 to February 2020.

In these 6 districts, 33 per cent of the crops of 1,43,268 hectares were damaged.

Locust attacks took place in 17 districts, but compensation reached only 9 districts.
The Department of Agriculture provided 45 machines and 600 tractors for chemical sprays.

Chemical spraying has been done on about 35 thousand hectares of land till now.
The Rajasthan Agriculture Department has also given 70 vehicles to the central team to help them carry out the survey.

Rajasthan is not the only state affected by the locust problem. Due to the rising temperatures in the regions bordering Pakistan, a team of locusts entered Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan and traveled all the way to Chhatarpur.

The Jhansi region of Uttar Pradesh has also been badly affected by locust attacks. Apart from agricultural land, locusts have attacked residential areas as well.

Although mostly wheat has been harvested at this time of the year, the crops of vegetables are under threat as well.

A swarm of locusts can enter Agra at any time via Jagner via Rajasthan’s Karauli. The Agriculture Department has alerted the farmers about this and has also deployed 205 tractors for spraying chemicals.

India proposes ‘joint war’ to Pakistan

These locusts that have become enemies of crops have come to India from the deserts of Iran and Afghanistan via Pakistan. At present, these locusts have become a disaster in six states of India.

Since this problem has affected four countries, the United Nations is also concerned about the locust outbreak and is taking necessary steps to protect crops. In March, a meeting was also held at the FAO office in Delhi, but Pakistan did not take the issue seriously.

However, India has once again extended its support to Pakistan to control this problem. Besides Pakistan, India has also offered to help Iran to fight the swarms of locusts together. According to sources, Iran has accepted India’s proposal and India is waiting for Pakistan’s decision.

Quickclarity news, India