August 9, 2019
The UN Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) says the locust threat in Iran and Saudi Arabia has declined due to quick action by both countries.
It says the biggest threat is to Yemen where the ongoing warfare means there has been little effort to repress the locusts. The threat also continues in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea where breeding bands remain active. And it says the threat in India and Pakistan remains uncertain as this year’s monsoon rains will determine the extent of breeding in those two countries.
The FAO’s Desert Locust Information Service issued its latest report July 16.
The report said, “The current Desert Locust situation developed from two cyclones in May and October 2018 that brought unusually heavy rains to a large and remote area in the Empty Quarter of eastern Saudi Arabia that borders Yemen and Oman. Three generations of undetected breeding gave rise to substantial swarms earlier this year that moved to Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“Intensive ground and aerial control operations were mounted in Saudi Arabia (219,000 hectares) and Iran (708,000 hectares) that undoubtedly reduced locust populations but could not entirely prevent swarms from forming and moving to the summer breeding areas. Residual infestations of adult groups remain in a few places of Iran.”
The problem areas of Iran are almost entirely confined to the coastal south along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
