Locust menace: Chhattisgarh farmers, agriculture department on alert

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The Chhattisgarh agriculture department and farmers of districts bordering Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been alerted after swarms of locusts attacked crops in the neighbouring states, an official said on Wednesday.

Locusts have reached Amravati (Maharashtra) and Mandla (Madhya Pradesh) from Rajasthan and may enter the bordering districts of Chhattisgarh "in a day or two", he said.

"Hence, the Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPMC) has asked agriculture officials and farmers of the districts concerned to be aware of these insects and take precautionary measures, a public relations official said.

Farmers have been advised to use pesticides like malathion, fenvalerate and quinalphos, to save their crops from locust attack, he said.

They have also been asked to use chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, diflubenzuron, fipronil and lambda-cyhalothrin pesticides for protecting their crops and trees, he said.

Agriculture authorities and farmers in the states Rajnandgaon district, which shares border with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, have been asked to be extra cautious as huge swarms of locusts may reach there by Thursday, he said.

A district-level team has been constituted in Rajanandgaon which has already swung into action to prevent crop damage by these insects, he said.

Nearly 20 tractor-mounted sprayers have been arranged in Rajnandgaon.

Besides, villagers have been advised to form groups and make noise by beating thalis (steel plates), tin boxes andsound-producing instruments to drive away the insects, the official said.

Local authorities have been asked to work in coordination for arranging pesticides and sprayers, he said.