With India battling the worst desert locust attack outbreak in three decades, Jharkhand Government's Agriculture Department issued statewide alert to save farm products from the insect and it is completely ready to fight against the insect which heavily destroyed crops in various states of the Country.
Already the entire country is grappling with the global pandemic COVID 19, the locust attack in several states of the northern part of the Country and the various states issued advisories to prevent it to spread. In order to provide safety blankets to farmers of the Jharkhand, Agriculture Minister, Badal constituted a three-member committee consisting of top officials of the Department and at the same time issued alert in the State to drive away the insect from the State.
Director Agriculture Department, Chavi Ranjan informed that the Department has assessed its resources to combat the menace. “We have arranged the vehicles to spray pesticide and insecticide to thwart the effort of the Locust attack in the State. We have arranged sprayer also both large and small to use as per requirments,” he added.
The Department has chalked out strategy to combat the menace in which it issued alert at various levels like State, District and Block level. “Monitoring team have been formed at State level which lead by Directos SAMETI, at District level it will lead by DDCs and at Block level it will be lead by Plant Protection officers,” said Ranjan.
Ranchi District Agriculture Officer, AK Sinha also held meeting with pesticide and insecticide supplier on Monday to eavaluate the situation and after the meeting he said that the Department has arranged more than required insecticide to drive away the insect.
Notably the crop destroying insect now spread to states like Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat after arriving in Rajsthan from neighboring country Pakistan. Authorities in Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka too sounded alerts on Thursday to the possibility of locusts entering their territories even as UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation warned that the insects could reach as far east as Bihar and Odisha in the coming week.
Birsa Agriculture University (BAU) Director Extension Education, RS Kureel said that there aerial spray of insecticide is needed to completely drive away the swarms of Locust amid their worst invasion of the years. It comes in every 20 to 30 years and there is no permanent plan to control it, only nodal agencies deployed when it comes to India, he added.
“It can't be tackle by single State Government. It can be tackle with joint effort of the Central Government and various state governments to drive to the insect from the Country before advent of Kharif season,” said Kureel.
Meanwhile, Garhwa district put on high alert against Locust attack which spotted 200 km away from the District. With the advancing locusts reaching as far as Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, may be entere in Jharkhand through border District Garhwa.
District Administration had asked people to alert it they spot a swarm. “This is an emergency, and we need to remain Vigilant, Deputy Commissioner Harsh Mangla said.