Locust attack: ACS says 8 to 10 thousand hectare affected so far, Agriculture Ministers assures farmers about taking care of them

Gandhinagar/Palanpur:Gujarat Agriculture Minister R F Faldu today assured that the state government would take care of the Locust affected farmers.

He also alleged that the Rajasthan government has not done much to effectively control the locusts and it has adversely affected Gujarat.

Talking to newsmen after inspecting the locust affected areas in North Gujarat Faldu said that the government had always stood by the farmers and would do so in case of Locust attack also.

‘The government had stood by farmers during the recent Non-seasonal rain and the compensation money has started flowing in to their accounts. I can assure that the state government would take care of the locust affected farmers also. First let the locust control happen and then the issue would be taken up,’ he said.

Faldu said that the number in which the locusts have entered Gujarat showed that Rajasthan government has not effectively controlled them. ‘Had the Rajasthan government taken appropriate measure to control the locusts, they could not have entered in Gujarat in such numbers,’ he alleged.

Earlier ACS (Agriculture) Poonamchand Parmar said that so far around 8 to 10 thousand hectare of farmers land has been affected by the locusts which had entered the state of Gujarat from Rajasthan side on December 14.

He said that so far around 30% of the locusts have been destroyed with the help of pesticide sprayers. With the change in wind pattern also the locust at times were moving towards Rajasthan and coming back.

Meanwhile an official associated with the locust control exercise said that the locust can be destroyed with pesticide during 7 to 11 am only after which it flies high and during night hours it sits on the ground in such a way that the pesticide does not affect them much.

He however hoped that the locusts would be controlled to a large extend in next 3 to 4 days.

DeshGujarat