Locust swarms from Pak destroy crops in 2 Gujarat districts

Massive swarms of locusts from Pakistan have descended on Banaskantha and Mehsana districts in Gujarat and were destroying mustard, castor, funnel and wheats crops, officials said on Monday.

Farmers have been directed to deploy various measures to deal with the situation, including burning tyres in the fields, playing drums and clanging utensils, switching on table fans near crops and even blaring out music from a mini truck-mounted console, said agriculture department officials.

They said 18 teams have been formed in Banaskantha to contain the swarm, and a helpline has been set up for farmers.

Locusts were first seen in villages of Suigam, Danta, Deesa, Palanpur and Lakhni talukas of Banaskantha district a week back, which then moved to villages in Satlasana taluka of neighbouring Mehsana district.

"These locusts entered Gujarat from the desert areas of Pakistan. This is the second time in a month when locusts have invaded our fields in north Gujarat. Local administration and the agriculture department is dealing with the situation," said Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

Farmers claimed the locusts swarm was happening after almost a decade.

"Millions of locusts have now entered in Satlasana in Mehsana from Banaskantha and destroyed our standing crop. We are doing our best to keep them away. I haven't seen such a huge swarm of locusts in a decade," a Satlasana farmer said.

Banaskantha Lok Sabha MP Parbat Patel said the Locust Control Cell and the state agriculture department were working hard to eliminate the insects.

Banaskantha Collector Sandip Sagle said 18 teams have been formed to keep a watch on the locusts' movement and added there was a possibility of influx of another swarm from the desert areas of the neighbouring country.

"A large swarm first entered Banaskantha around a week back. We were able to scatter and control it using various treatments. We have formed 18 teams to keep a close watch on the movements of these smaller swarms.

"We have also released helpline numbers for farmers. We are using various pesticides to control the locust population," said Sagle.