Government allays fears of locust attack in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The state government on Wednesday allayed fears of locust attack in Tamil Nadu, saying there was very remote chance of locusts swarming farmlands in the state. The agriculture department, however, issued an advisory to control the pests.
Swarming of desert locusts in central and northern states has created fear among the farming community in the state.
Agriculturist P Sellamuthu, who owns farmlands in Chengalpattu district, said so far there was no report of locusts entering Tamil Nadu.“There are powerful insecticides which can easily destroy these pests but the chemicals will have negative impacts on the soil,” he said. He said these pests destroy a maximum of 25% of the crops, that too once in every 12 or 13 years, so using very powerful insecticides is not advisable.
Professors M C Muralirangan and Meera Muralirangan, experts on locusts, said migration of desert locusts happens once in 12 years. Their main breeding ground is deserts, they said.
An agriculture department source said the locusts have flown close to Panna in Madhya Pradesh this time around. This is mainly due to their population density, which is far higher than the previous instances, he said, adding that favourable wind conditions also drove the pests up to the central parts of the country.
The Tamil Nadu agriculture department has told the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University to interact with the Centre’s Locust Warning Organisation in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In the past, locust swarms, which normally affect states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, have never spread beyond the Deccan Plateau.
In case of locust swarm entering the state, the department has advocated strategies to control the pests. This includes spraying neem-based pesticides, mass ground spray of malathion pesticides using tractor mounted sprayers and fire engines. “Birds and poultry, which eat the locusts, can be used to control the pests. Mass spraying of pesticides can be done to control the swarms effectively,” the advisory said. Incidentally, the state government has not received any forewarning by the Centre regarding the matter.