Summary: Locust plague ravaged many countries in the Horn of Africa is the most severe

, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A widespread locust disaster has swept through more than 20 countries from West Africa to East Africa, from West Asia to South Asia, affecting an area of more than 16 million square kilometers, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report released.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Horn of Africa is the hardest hit by the locust plague, with Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia suffering their worst locust plagues in 25 years, while Kenya is experiencing its worst locust plague in 70 years. Locusts in the Horn of Africa are still breeding and will form new locust swarms in March and April, further exacerbating locust plagues in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, the report said.
report that locust plagues have added to food shortages in Ethiopia for more than 22 million people. About 65,000 hectares of crops have been affected, according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture. His Government called for enhanced regional and international cooperation to prevent locust plagues from spreading to more countries.
a joint report by Djibouti and FAO, locust plagues have further exacerbated Djibouti's food security problems, with 280,000 people facing famine out of a population of more than 1 million in the small East African country. More than 80 per cent of the country's 1,700 agricultural pastures are affected by locusts.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Uganda said that Uganda had a 60-kilometre-long and 40-kilometre-wide swarm of locusts that could move 150 kilometres a day. The locust invasion is related to climate change.
at the 33rd AU Summit, held from February 9 to 10, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to respond quickly to Africa's unprecedented locust plague, provide assistance to affected African countries and effectively control the spread of locust plague. Between the summit, FAO Deputy Director-General Semedo said the locust plague had further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, 239 million people are suffering from famine and malnutrition.
, head of the Vegetation Protection Bureau of Pakistan's Ministry of National Food Security, said locusts, which are currently raging in the country, invaded the southwestern province of Balochistan from Africa in March last year and spread to the eastern provinces of Lynde and Punjab late last year. According to the local agricultural sector, the locust plague has affected more than 45,000 hectares of farmland in Balochistan province, with losses of about $30 million. Naz said the Pakistani government earlier this month declared a state of emergency for locust eradication and allocated $47 million to deal with the locust plague. Since last June, the Pakistani government has been using aircraft to sow pesticides in Indo-German and Punjab provinces, with some success.
, desert locusts began entering India last May and peaked late last year and early this year, according to Indian media reports. The locust plague is concentrated in the western Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where more than 360,000 hectares have been affected and Gujarat more than 18,000 hectares. Crops such as mustard, castor, cumin and wheat have suffered heavy losses and even faced a severe harvest. So far, india's locust plague has largely ended, with the exception of sporadic areas of Rajasthan. But the Indian government has warned that India and Pakistan may see a more severe locust plague in June.
since mid-to-late January, Yemen's southwestern plains and parts of the mountains have been hit by locust plagues. It comes at a time when Yemen's best food growing season is being caused by locust plagues eroding already fragile agricultural production. On 11 February, the Yemeni Locust Control Centre declared the country on alert for the spread of locusts and called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and other departments to take urgent interventions to prevent further spread of locust plague. According to the Yemeni Locust Control Centre, climatic and environmental conditions are important factors leading to the breeding and spread of locusts. In addition, large numbers of locusts from Africa and neighbouring countries have made prevention and control very difficult. If the plague continues to spread, it will pose a threat to food security throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan and the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan are currently suffering from locust plagues, affecting an area of more than 2,000 hectares. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that locusts will invade the central Iranian province of Kerman and the southeastern Jazmurian Lake district. Mahmoud Khojati, Iran's former agriculture minister, said the locust plague would threaten Iran's food security if appropriate measures were not taken in a timely manner. Mohammad Reza Mir, a spokesman for Iran's plant protection organization, said Wednesday that it is ready to deal with locust swarms. The locusts are the same species as those that landed in Iran last April, and the affected population is expected to be 20 to 30 percent last year. Iran, which responded to the locust plague last year, is confident of minimizing losses on orchards and farms.
, according to local media reports, large numbers of desert locusts have crossed the coastline into Saudi Arabia since mid-January, invading agricultural areas in Riyadh, Al-Ghassem, Al-Khalil and four areas of the eastern province. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said recently that it had fumigated locusts on more than 140,000 hectares through the efforts of 76 field teams and 18 exploration teams. (Participating journalists: Bai Lin, Wang Shoubao, Zhang Liping, Liu Tian, Zhao Xu, Wang Wei, Yu Yunpeng, Chen Wei, Tu Yifan)