LAHORE: Farmers complain that the government is doing too little to contain the locust attack threatening livelihoods of the farming communities as well as national food security.

`We had been urging the government for controlling the menace when it first appeared andtravelled along deserts in India eight months ago. But, unfortunately, both the federal and provincial authorities did not give a fig to our pleadings,` bemoans Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar.

The locust attack that has become a phenomenon going beyond regions and continents has got attention of the international media too due to its drastic effects on crippling economies like Pakistan`s. In a recent report,TheGuardianreported, `Pakistan will incur losses of about £2bn in winter crops, such as wheat, and a further £2.3bn in the summer crops being plantednow, according to the UN`s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This will be economically devastating for a country where agriculture accounts for 20% of GDP and 65% of the population live and work in agricultural areas. Pakistan is already suffering from crippling inflation, which is now at a 12-year high, and the unprecedented economic burden imposed by the coronavirus pandemic`.

Criticising the government`s attitude towards the crisis, the Pakistani Kissan Ittehad (PKI) president says the Department of Plant Protection and the provincial government didn`t make ample efforts while the federalgovernment could not release funds for hiring aircraft or the human resource to combat this insect during the last many months.

Desertlocustisinvadingcrops and orchards in the central and south Punjab ruining cotton, maize, till, moong and bean crops, fodders and mango orchards as government of ficials are sound asleep, laments Mr Khokhar.

He warns that if it locust invasion continues unchecked, it will lead the country to famine-like situation.

`Lack of fodder will threaten the livestock industry, especially for those small growersand families who have entire livelihood attached to milch animals and their milk production.

Mr Khokhar says that cotton crop, which has been planted on a small acreage due to shortage of seed and its poor quality, has been eaten up by the locust and the farmers have no seed left for re-planting or gap filling.

Similarly, other Kharif crops like till, maize and pulses all have been damaged.

Referring to government`s claims of locust management and clearing thousands of acres of land of the insect, Mr Khokhar laments that the government`s locust management is functioning very well but only on socialmedia and in papers to devour the funds allocated for the locust control while no activity is visible on ground.

About the origin of the current outbreak of the locust, The Guardian report says, `heavy rains on the Arabian peninsula in 2019 triggered explosive growth in the locust population, and they began causing problems in India, Pakistan and a number of Af rican countries last year. The second generation is 20 times bigger. Locusts move in swarms of up to 50 million, can travel 90 miles a day, and lay as many as 1,000 eggs per square metre of land.

The federal Department ofPlant Protection, which has the mandate to fight the menace, owns planes but not fit to fly while it also lacks stock of pesticides. This is such a criminal negligence on the part of the department and failure of the government that am agency and dedicated staff members who have been getting millions of rupees in salaries from the taxpayers` money for years, are unable to deliver when needed.

The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad has condemned the lethargic attitude of the government towards this issue, which could damage the economy and threaten national food security, many times more than the coronavirus.

The small farmers` body urges the government to wake up and pay due attention to this menace and also requested the prime minister to order for assessment of the croplosses due to the locust and compensate farmers so that they could sow substitute crops.

AHSAN IQBAL: PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has asked the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government to immediately announce a relief package for farmers affected by the attacks of locusts on theircrops.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Iqbal said had the government taken timely measures, the loss of Rs800 billion could have been avoided. He said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar could save his native town from locust attacks.

`The farmers are suffering a lot while Prime Minister Imran Khan is enjoying his time in Nathia Gali,` Iqbal said and demanded the government direct lawmakers on the floors of National and Punjab assemblies in this regard.

He also demanded that spray be carried out to save crops from locusts. Due to the fear of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the bureaucracy was not ready to sign any file of any project. Premier Niazi was busy using the NAB against his opponents, he alleged.