Around 33 teams in Banaskantha, 15 in Patan and 10 in Mehsana districts have been formed to oversee the locust situation, apart from ensuring supply of pesticides
Current Affairs : As though the Covid-19 pandemic was insufficient, Gujarat is presently preparing itself for a potential beetle assault soon, that could affect its late spring crops right now remaining in the field.
The Gujarat government’s agrarian division has gotten an admonition on the equivalent from the Locust Control Office (LCO) of Ministry of Agriculture. As per farming office authorities, around 33 groups in Banaskantha, 15 in Patan and 10 in Mehsana areas have been framed to supervise the grasshopper circumstance, aside from guaranteeing gracefully of pesticides.
Hailing from the fringes of Pakistan, the insect swarm has just observed a section into Rajasthan and is probably going to go further towards northern pieces of Gujarat, for example, Banaskantha and Patan, aside from parts of Punjab.
As per C K Patel, look into researcher at Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU) in Banaskantha, standing summer crops including millet, groundnut, yam, water melon, green feed and different leafy foods could see an effect. Besides the effect comes when summer crop planting has been around 110 percent of what it was a year ago because of better accessibility of water in northern pieces of Gujarat, said Patel.
Obviously the alarm has been sounded for the following couple of days when the beetle multitude could make a passage into Gujarat. Have groups been sent as well as been asked to rapidly illuminate the concerned specialists regarding any sightings of grasshopper swarm.
Aditi Mehta 