Southern Provinces Ready to Battle Desert Locusts

EghtesadOnline: Swarms of desert locusts have been spotted in the southern provinces of Iran, including Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Fars and Bushehr.

News ID: ۷۸۴۵۲۲

13 February 2019

Local agricultural authorities are ready to battle the pests before they ravage the crops, IRNA reported.

“The desert locust is among the most dangerous pests with the potential of destroying all greenery, including grains, fodder, vegetables, trees and even weeds on their path. The pest has attacked Iran’s farms two times before in the fiscals 1963-4 and 1993-4. The former caused heavy damage to the country’s farms and agricultural production,” Jamshid Eslamiyan, a local official, was quoted as saying.

The desert locust is indigenous to Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the African countries and enters Iran by crossing from across the Persian Gulf, according to Financial Tribune.