The fight against desert locusts in Iran has intensified to cover more than 54,000 hectares across six southern provinces, according to the head of the Plant Protection Organization of Iran.
Swarms of the voracious pest were first spotted in Iran’s southern provinces this year on Feb. 19.
“Some 200 billion rials [$1.2 million] have been spent to combat the pest so far. We have requested an additional 650 billion rials [$4 million] from the Plan and Budget Organization, which will be sufficient to continue the fight until August,” Mohammad Reza Dargahi was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
The affected provinces so far include Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Fars, Bushehr, Kerman and Khuzestan.
The official noted that the current year’s battle is three times as intense as last year.
The first generation of desert locusts attacked Iran about a year ago. FAO alerted Iran of probable locust attacks on Jan. 21.
The Plant Protection Organization of Iran battled the pest across 750,000 hectares in the previous round of attack that cost PPO more than $2.74 million. The figure is expected to exceed 1 million hectares this year, hence the need for an additional budget.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations signed an Emergency Technical Cooperation Program project with PPO affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry on March 19 to enhance technical capacity for early warning, monitoring and management of the desert locust.
Funded by FAO, the project will contribute to the efforts of Iran’s national and local managers and experts in the southern provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan by providing knowledge, skills and equipment in order to detect, track and rapidly respond to desert locust infestation, FAO wrote on its website.
As per the agreement and in close collaboration with PPO, FAO will initially conduct a workshop for three Iranian experts on training skills. Later, the organization will organize a number of training workshops for 320 locust, plant protection and agriculture officers in the concerned provinces, enabling them to effectively utilize and maintain ultra low volume (ULV) sprayers and to further empower them in survey and control operations and in reporting desert locusts.
In consultation with the FAO Desert Locust Information Service, a locally modified offline mobile application will be developed to facilitate the recording and collection of information (text, graphics, photos and videos) on desert locust biology, behavior, survey, reporting, control and safety.
FAO will likewise assist the country in establishing two permanent desert locust control centers by procuring 30 ULV vehicle-mounted sprayers, 50 ULV handheld sprayers, 150 sets of personal protective clothing and requisite chemicals/pesticides.
Dargahi told ILNA that FAO will grant Iran $300,000 in aid as part of the agreement.
FAO believes this round of desert locust outbreak to be the worst in 25 years across East Africa and Southwest Asia.
On its latest desert locust situation update on April 4, FAO warns that widespread rains that fell in late March could allow a dramatic increase in locust numbers in East Africa, eastern Yemen and southern Iran during the coming months.
The situation in Iran and Yemen is becoming increasingly worrisome. Swarms laid eggs along 900 km of coast in southwest Iran, which are hatching and hopper bands are forming. The widespread heavy rains that fell in late March will allow another generation of breeding and a further increase in locusts during May, which will extend to Balochistan, Pakistan.
The desert locust is among the most dangerous pests. They can destroy all greenery, including grains, fodder, vegetables, tree barks and even weeds, on their path. The pest has attacked Iran’s farms in the fiscal 1963-64 and 1993-94. The former caused heavy damage to the country’s farms and agricultural production.
The migratory pest is indigenous to Saudi Arabia, Morocco and African countries, and enters Iran by crossing the Persian Gulf.
