Locusts are likely to reach Odisha in July as predicted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, said Agriculture Director M Muthukumar here on Monday.
Probability of arrival of locusts in the State can be ascertained in four to five days, he said, adding that the movement of locusts in Madhya Pradesh has weakened due to control measures.
As per the FAO, locusts that arrive in advance of the monsoon rains are likely to settle in cropping areas or continue eastwards to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and perhaps as far east as Bihar and Odisha.
Chances of locust attack are high in the districts of Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Bargarh, a State Government official said.