Photo taken on May 25, 2020 shows swarms of locusts in the residential areas of Jaipur, the capital city of India's western state of Rajasthan. (Str/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- India's federal Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has stepped up locust control operations as the swarm outbreak has spread to five states -- Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, officials said Thursday.
According to the ministry, 200 Locust Circle Offices (LCO) were conducting survey and control operations in close coordination with local administration and agriculture field machinery in affected states to combat the menace.
On the same day, the local government in India's capital Delhi issued an advisory on preventive measures to control a possible locust attack in its territory.
The advisory calls for organizing awareness programs for the public and farmers to prevent the probable attack of swarms of locusts in the national capital territory (NCT) of Delhi.
Officials said the locust swarms usually enter the scheduled desert area of India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June and July with the advent of monsoon. But the incursions of locust hoppers and pink swarms have been reported much earlier this year.
Photo taken on May 25, 2020 shows swarms of locusts in the residential areas of Jaipur, the capital city of India's western state of Rajasthan. (Str/Xinhua)
Photo taken on May 25, 2020 shows swarms of locusts in the residential areas of Jaipur, the capital city of India's western state of Rajasthan. (Str/Xinhua)
Photo taken on May 25, 2020 shows swarms of locusts in the residential areas of Jaipur, the capital city of India's western state of Rajasthan. (Str/Xinhua) ■