Monsoon May Halt Locust Spread Across Eastern Parts of India
As locust attack has frightened resident farmers in Rajasthan and parts of western India. The arrival of monsoon may put a hault on coming waves of this trauma to spread eastwards. As vegetation dries out, more groups and swarms will form and move from these areas to the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border as several waves from now until at least early July. Good rains are predicted during the first half of June along the Indo-Pakistan border that would allow egg-laying to occur. This should reduce the further eastward movement of swarms that have already arrived in Rajasthan, India, at least food and agriculture organization (FAO) believe the same.
As this news may bring some sort of relief to already struggling north Indian farmers, this locust attack had already damaged parts of summer crop in Rajasthan. The Gujarat had also faced the threat and it has now progressed towards parts of Madhya Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh government has already started running various awareness program as neighbouring state of Rajasthan has already lost vegetation on an estimated 9, 000 hectares of farmland.
Earlier to this fresh wave of locust attack and spread of the threat towards eastern parts of India, the country is facing situation since November 2019 and it has peaked during February and March 2020. The agriculture secretary of India had already reviewed the situation in last week of February this year. Global organisation like the World Bank had already announced a $500 million support to nation's fighting against this attack. As egg laying gets help from early monsoon, it may give chance to contain the locust in the region and may also provide chances to get rid of it. If this chance will be taken by both farmers and administration.
