KABUL: The United Nations (UN) has said that a “large-scale” outbreak of the Locust, across 8 provinces in Afghanistan’s wheat basket, could cause huge crop losses and “intensely” worsen food insecurity in the country.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced the alarm on Wednesday following locusts were spotted in eight provinces of Afghanistan. It said an “outbreak” in the current year can destroy 1.2 million metric tons of wheat.
Locust Outbreak in Afghanistan
FAO official in Afghanistan Richard Trenchard said that along with the partners, the FAO was racing to assist decrease the impact of the outbreak of Locust in Afghanistan.
He said that with pesticides in short supply, people in the affected provinces were working to eliminate the pests using “traditional methods” before locusts become adults and start to swarm.
The FAO said that left untreated, the Locust could increase 100-fold in the upcoming year.
Earlier this year, the United Nations warned that 6 million people in Afghanistan were one step away from scarcity. Sightings of locusts at several development stages have been made in Baghlan, Badakhshan, Badghis, Kunduz, Balkh, Sar-e-Pul, Samangan, and Takhar, with new reports coming in from Ghor and Heart provinces.
“The reports of Locust outbreak in Afghanistan’s wheat basket is a massive concern”, Trenchard added.
“The locust eats over 150 species of plants, including pastures, tree crops, and food crops in Afghanistan. It signifies a huge threat to communities, farmers, and the entire Afghanistan,” he said.
“Crop forecasts in the current year are the best— but the outbreak threatens to destroy all gains and intensely worsen the food insecurity this year and into the upcoming year,” the FAO official continued.
The Locust is ranked among the most damaging plant pests in the world. The FAO warned that there was not a single harvest which is spared from Locust damage.
