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| Is JK admin prepared to tackle Locust attack? | | Farmers worried, experts caution as swarms of locusts reach North India | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 28: At a time when entire north India is getting ready to face the possible lethal Locust attack on crops, questions are being raised over the preparations being made over preventing Jammu’s farmers from the swarms of locusts.
There are apprehensions that locusts could attack Jammu and Kashmir according to an advisory issued by the Centre, there can be more locust attacks in the near future and that north India, in particular, is an epicentre of the ongoing tirade.
A huge swarm of locusts have reached Haryana with parts of it settling in various villages of Jatusana and Khol blocks of the district overnight. From Rewari, the locusts entered Gurgaon, neighbouring Delhi, on Saturday. In many villages where locusts were spotted, the farmers, as per the reports, beat 'thalis' (plates) and other utensils, while some burst firecrackers to drive away the insects. The local administration deployed tractor-mounted spray facilities for the purpose. “It is very much possible that the swarm of locusts could enter Jammu and Kashmir and that Jammu could be its first target.
The farmers in the region have already been battling against the climate change, unseasonal and untimely rainfall and a plethora of other factors,” says an official of agriculture here.
According to him, chances are high that by next week, locusts could have Jammu as the target and that the government must take pre-emptive measures in tacking the attack aftermath.
Popularly known as "tiddi dal", locusts have highly migratory habits and voracious feeding behaviour. They keep flying during day time and settle down only after dark in the evening. This insect can eat more than its body weight. A one square kilometres of locust swarm containing around 40 million locusts can in a day eat as much food as 35,000 people.
In May, India battled a devastating desert locust outbreak. The crop-destroying swarms first attacked Rajasthan and then spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Farmers makeup 80 per cent of the state's population and agriculture and horticulture are the backbones of the state's economy. The unique climate in the foothills of Himalayas allows for the growing of exotic fruits and vegetables not usually found in India. According to the government estimates, the agriculture sector in Jammu and Kashmir incurred a loss of Rs 37 billion while the paddy crops spread over 3 lakh hectares were damaged due to flood fury across the erstwhile State in the year 2014. The floods caused a loss of Rs 1,000 crore to the apple crop in Valley. |
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