Locust control operations carried out in over 3.70 lakh hectares from April in 10 states
Jul 20, 2020
New Delhi [India], July 20 : Locust control operations have been carried out in more than 3.70 lakh hectares of 10 states between April 11 and July 19 this year.
The operations were conducted in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Family Welfare, control operations took place at 31 places in eight districts of Rajasthan and at one place in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district in the night of July 19.
Presently 79 control teams with spray vehicles have been deployed in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations.
Further, 5 companies with 15 drones were deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides.
Aerial spraying capacity has been strengthened for anti-locust operations with the deployment of a bell helicopter in Rajasthan for use in Scheduled Desert Area as per the need and Indian Air Force has also conducted trials in anti-locust operation by using Mi-17 helicopter.
It further stated that no significant crop losses were reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana. However, some minor crop losses have been reported in some districts of Rajasthan.
