Locust attacks in North Gujarat have been broadly contained: ACS (Agriculture) Parmar

Gandhinagar/Palanpur: Gujarat government today said that the locusts attacks in northern parts of the state have been broadly controlled.

ACS (Agriculture) Poonamchand Parmar said that the locusts have been destroyed in large proportion and they have now been contained broadly.

‘Locust are now not being seen in larger numbers anywhere in the affected areas. Many of these have also moved towards Sanchor district in Rajasthan and we are ready to tackle them even if they returned again,’ he said.

Notably, the locusts which had entered Gujarat via Rajasthan on December 14 had destroyed crops of cotton, castor, black muster seed etc in an estimated area of 8 to 10 thousand hectares in over 130 villages in 17 talukas of four districts Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha and Mahesana. Of these Banaskantha had bore the brunt in maximum proportion with over 120 of its villages in 13 talukas seeing locust attacks. Central and state teams have been involved in locust control operations in which pesticides were sprayed in the affected areas from tractor mounted sprayers.

Notably Gujarat Agriculture Minister R F Faldu has assured that the state government would take care of the Locust affected farmers.

Parmar said that a survey would be taken up for estimate of the damage caused by locusts after the complete control.

Meanwhile, locusts were seen in parts of Deesa and Dhanera areas in Banaskantha district even today.

DeshGujarat