Locust attacks destroy crops in Karachi’s suburbs areas

KARACHI: Locusts attacked and harshly damaged crops in Karachi suburbs, sparking fears of a looming food shortage in case the government fails to tackle the situation.

The farmers have blamed the Sindh Agriculture Department for not taking concrete measures to save their crops from the attack of locusts.

Sources said crops and fruits standing on hundreds of acre were destroyed by the swarms of grasshoppers in several areas in Malir.

Farmers have also staged a protest against the local authorities and the provincial government and said that it was the third attack of locusts in Karachi and the government must help the local farmers in saving their crops.

They also said that the crops should be sprayed in order to prevent crops from the locusts’ attack.

Earlier on June 30, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the provincial government was taking every possible measure to prevent crops from locusts’ attack.

CM Murad said that he had directed the plant protection division to initiate measures to contain the locust outbreak in the province.