Govt advisory for dists, officials on possible locust attack

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Tuesday asked officials to remain vigilant for the next 10 days in view of a possible invasion of locusts in Odisha.
Chairing a high-level review meeting, chief minister Naveen Patnaik emphasised on creating awareness among farmers of bordering districts of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jharkhand.
In the meeting, held through video-conference, it was decided to use large sprayers (if needed) of the Odisha fire service to drive out the swarm of locusts.
It was told that the insects may attack some of the southern and western districts like Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Baragarh districts. A control room has been opened at the state level and in each of these districts to tackle a possible locust attack even as it is believed the insects have reportedly returned to Madhya Pradesh from Chhattisgarh.
“We have alerted officials of the bordering districts. Advisory has also been issued to more than 15 lakh farmers on possible locust attack,” said S K Vashisht, special secretary, agriculture department.
He said according to reports, the swarm of locusts have returned from Korea district in Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh.
State agriculture director M Muthukumar said though the swarm of locusts is yet to enter Odisha, the agriculture department has prepared a contingency plan to tackle its possible invasion.
“We have adequate chemicals to spray on the fields in case the locusts enter Odisha. The fire department has been requested to provide large sprayers while district fire officers have also been alerted,” said Muthukumar.
The Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has already issued advisory to farmers to spray 200 litres of solution of five per cent neem seed kernel extract (5% NSKE) per acre during afternoon to prevent the attack from locusts. The advisory also said that farmers can also prepare a solution by adding neem-based insecticide and spray on the crop to protect it from locusts.
Besides, farmers have also been advised to beat tin cans to drive away the locusts. To ensure proper surveillance in the bordering districts, the field level officers of the agriculture department have been asked to keep tabs on the movement of locusts and to report to the district control room accordingly.
EoM