Gujarat govt estimate on farms across districts: 6,000 hectares under locust threat, 45 teams fight menace

Since December 24, the locust control teams have been spraying insecticide “Malathion” in over 6,000 hectares in Tharad and neighbouring talukas. Parmar said that the locust menace will continue to adversely affect northern parts of the state in the next few days.

RK Prajapati, who owns a farm in Suigam village of Banaskantha, near the international border with Pakistan, said, “The effect of locusts has been very severe for the past one week. It has reduced a bit in the past two days. These insects have eaten away our standing crops.” Prajapati had sown cumin, castor and jowar for the Rabi season. According to Sagar Rabari, the head of Gujarat-based Khedut Ekta Manch, the effect of locust swarms have also been felt in Sabarkantha and Kutch districts.

“The authorities have been spraying insecticide since morning. We can see a lot of dead insects all around. A significant portion of my farm where I had sown mustard stands damaged,” said Navin Chaudhari from Tharad, one of the worst affected regions in Banaskantha district.

Apart from Tharad, swarms have also been located in Danta, Suigam, Dantiwada and Vadgam talukas of Banaskantha district. According to the state agriculture department, there are standing Rabi crops in 4,78,600 hectares in Banaskantha alone. This includes mustard (1,26,200 hectares), cumin (78,700 hectares), potato (61,700 hectares) and irrigated wheat (69,800 hectares), as on December 23, 2019. Villages of neighbouring Kutch and Sabarkantha have also been affected by locusts, said officials.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had earlier said the first attack of locusts was seen on December 14 in villages of Vav taluka of Bansakantha district. “From yesterday onwards, the effect of locusts were visible in 95 villages of Banaskantha,” he said adding that the state government was taking the attack “very seriously.” He said the swarms of locusts have entered Gujarat from Pakistan via Rajasthan.

“It is not possible to spray insecticides when the locusts are air-borne. The insects settle down before nightfall, and so the spraying is done early in the morning before 10 am. The spraying using helicopters is not possible as the insecticide is very toxic and can adversely affect the health of humans and animals living in the area. Even waterbodies can get affected,” Rupani added.

TP Rajput, a farmer from Deodar taluka of Banaskantha district, said, “The largest locust attack I have witnessed in my lifetime have completely destroyed cumin, mustard and wheat crops on my nearly 15 bigha land. There are farmers whose entire crops have been lost in the attack.”

He also rued delay in government’s response and said, “The insects that have been swarming our farms for the past 30-35 days and hardly left anything in the fields. The state government sprung into action only in the past two three days and brought it to control by nearly 25 per cent. Though the area of attack majorly depends on the wind direction, it is estimated that it will take another four to five days to leave the affected districts.”