The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization or UN FAO confirms that there are no desert locusts in Torit, except grasshoppers, but warns that the locusts are likely to reach the State or South Sudan, on 25 and 26 of January 2020.
According to FAO, locusts are the oldest migratory pest in the world. They differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to change behaviour and form swarms that can migrate over large distances.
The most devastating of all locust species is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria). During plagues, it can easily affect 20 percent of the Earth’s land, more than 65 of the world’s poorest countries and potentially damage the livelihood of one tenth of the world’s population.
Locusts have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances (they can fly up to 150 km per day) and, if good rains fall and ecological conditions become favourable, rapidly reproduce and increase some 20-fold in three months.
Last week, Radio Emmanuel reported that there was outbreak of locusts in Himo-donge Payam of Torit County, putting many farmers at risk of hunger as their food crops have been destroyed.
But FAO Country Representative, Meshack Malo told CRN that there was fear that the insects were already in Torit, but not yet.
‘There was a fear that they have reached areas of Torit and some parts of Renk. We immediately dispersed our people there and I personally went to Torit and had discussions with the Governor of Torit. Luckily, the once that are in Torit, are the grasshoppers and not the desert locusts. Our estimates runs 25, 26 of January in unlikely event in Torit’, says Malo.
Mr Malo stresses that grasshoppers are easier to control unlike desert locusts. ‘Grasshoppers are there, but they could be controlled. They are much easier to control and they do not cause as much food destruction as the desert locusts’, he adds.
The FAO Representative says the organization is in the process of procuring some chemicals to destroy the grasshoppers. But he did not mention the suitable chemical to use for spraying.
‘For the grasshoppers, it’s by spraying by certain chemical that is friendly and selective. FAO now is in the process of procuring some of these chemicals. However also, we have found out that the locals have some local sort of concoctions that tend to work. So this is also quite impressive in terms of indigenous knowledge’.
He says it is important to control them where they are, to reduce the risk of reaching other states.
Locusts can devastate crops and pastures. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are dealing with desert locust swarms of ‘unprecedented size and destructive potential’ that could spill over into more countries in East Africa, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned earlier. South Sudan is at risk