Pakistan allocates fund to fight locust attack

Islamabad

The federal and provincial governments of Pakistan have allocated 26 billion rupees (about US $155 million) to control the spread and attack of locusts, local media reported.

Integrated efforts are being made to control the locust attacks in the country, and in this regard, federal, all provincial governments and the military are taking measures, Dunya News quoted the country's Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam as having said on Sunday.

Desert locust situation in Pakistan has found a new corridor and now the pest is entering the country from Afghanistan, according to the report, Xinhua news agency reported.

Talking about the current strategy to eliminate the locust swarm, the minister said that the teams working on the ground spray pesticide to destroy locusts when they rested at night, while 20 aircraft will be used for aerial spray of the pesticide.

The minister said that China is also helping Pakistan in its fight against the pest, which will help it control the spread of the insects.

The government is increasing locust elimination capacity and also in touch with international organizations to get benefit from their experience to deal with it, he added.

The locust plague across the country is feared to create food shortages, and the Pakistani government earlier this year declared national emergency over locust swarms after the pest destroyed large quantities of crops across the country.