Desert Locust Invasion Sweeping Across Eight Provinces

Desert locust, which invaded the southern provinces of Iran since Feb. 19, have been fought over 378,494 hectares so far, the spokesman of the Plant Protection Organization affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry said.
“Khorasan Razavi has recently joined the provinces invaded by the pest, so the battle is currently taking place in eight Iranian provinces now. Sistan-Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Kerman, South Khorasan and Khuzestan have already been infected,” Mohammad Reza Mir was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Out of the aforementioned provinces, said Mir, Sistan-Baluchestan is the worst-hit province where the pest has been confronted on more than 170,640 hectares.   
The official added that no damage has been caused to orchards and farms in the infested provinces so far.
“The migratory pest has found its way to Iran from the littoral states of the Persian Gulf where due to barren lands and the fact that very little or no agricultural activity takes place, no serious battle against it has taken place. Yet, due to Iran’s effective measures against the spread of the locust, fewer swarms have invaded India, Pakistan and Iraq,” he was quoted as saying by Young Journalists Club.