CWSA supports Pakistan in fight against locust plague

ISLAMABAD: Community World Service Asia (CWSA) has decided to work with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to combat locust infestations in Pakistan.

According to a statement, through financial support from the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad, Japan Platform and CWS Japan, 58,502 liters of Lambda Cyhalothrin EC2.5% pesticides are being provided to Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) of the respective provinces.

The intervention will ensure a safe and secure application of the pesticides as per the plant protection guidelines.

“CWSA is also supporting 1,600 farmer families with conditional cash grants for tilling/plowing of lands to eradicate the locust eggs before hatching, the statement read. With this support, around 16,187 hectares of land will be made free of locust eggs and will be prepared for the next cultivation.

As an additional preparedness step, around 2,000 farmers will be trained on Integrated Crop Management and Integrated Pest Management approaches to be able to efficiently manage similar threats in the future.

Several Pakistani farmers, particularly in Sindh province, are currently struggling to combat a series of natural hazards that have left agrarian communities crumbling.

Pakistan declared tackling the locust infestations a national emergency in February 2020 as it destroyed huge areas of croplands in the country’s most fertile province of Punjab.