India: Can A New Round Of Locust Disaster Hit Cotton?

According to foreign reports, a new round of locust disaster has shocked farmers in India. Experts warn that if the government can not contain rapidly spreading locusts before the onset of monsoon rains in June, it will affect the sowing of rice, sugarcane, corn, cotton and soybeans.

Government officials and agricultural experts said that about 35 thousand hectares of India's seven central areas were swallowed by desert locust, threatening some vegetables and legumes. Nevertheless, the India government and agricultural experts have not foreseen major crop damage at present, because it is now a slack season, between the harvest of last year and the next year.

However, India agricultural experts warned that the federal and state governments must prevent locusts from spreading in the next few weeks to prevent them from swallowing summer crops. A research institute in India has said that although there is no significant crop loss at present, the window period to solve the locust plague is very short. If it can not be solved, India will not be able to save summer crops.

At present, India is fighting against the most serious desert locusts in decades. The new plague outside the new crown is spreading in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, central and Punjab, northern haryan and western parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Experts in India say that high temperatures can help locusts spread faster. Earlier this year, farmers have just rescued wheat and oil crops from locusts. The Ministry of agriculture of India said that the government was determined to solve this problem by supporting the locust warning Organization (LWO). The government has increased its staff and purchased new equipment and vehicles for investigation and insecticide spraying.