Uganda on alert as desert locusts remain active in neighboring Kenya

03/06/2021 Ethiopia, World



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KATAKWI, UGANDA – FEBRUARY 11: A man holds a lobster that he caught for eating on February 11, 2020 in Katakwi, Uganda. Uganda has deployed soldiers to help combat one of the worst locust infestations in the region in decades. The UN warned that locusts can put crop production, food security and millions of lives at risk. Insects have already destroyed crops in Kenya in the country’s worst infestation in 70 years. The swarms also pose a threat to other countries in the region, including Ethiopia and Somalia. (Photo by Luke Dray / Getty Images)
KATAKWI, UGANDA – FEBRUARY 11: A man holds a lobster that he caught for eating on February 11, 2020 in Katakwi, Uganda. Uganda has deployed soldiers to help combat one of the worst locust infestations in the region in decades. The UN warned that locusts can put crop production, food security and millions of lives at risk. Insects have already destroyed crops in Kenya in the country’s worst infestation in 70 years. The swarms also pose a threat to other countries in the region, including Ethiopia and Somalia. (Photo by Luke Dray / Getty Images)

Uganda remains on high alert as neighboring Kenya has become a breeding ground for the roaming desert locusts, officials here said Friday.

Pius Wakabi Kasajja, Uganda’s permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry, said desert locusts are still active in some neighboring parts of Kenya, citing a February report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO ).

These regions put Uganda at high risk of a locust invasion. “It should also be noted that some parts of Kenya are desert locust breeding grounds,” he said while attending an FAO-sponsored pest control equipment handover ceremony.

Kenya is among 12 countries in the world currently fighting desert locusts, according to the FAO Desert Locust Bulletin released on Wednesday.

While the situation in Uganda has remained calm since the last round of attacks on September 12, the ongoing replication in nearby regions poses a threat, according to the FAO.

Uganda last year faced a series of locust attacks from neighboring Kenya that had threatened to destroy thousands of acres of farmland and pasture. The country, with the support of its partners, strengthened its fight against the pest outbreak, including the use of the army.

“It is worth noting that Uganda successfully controlled desert locusts and prevented a potential loss of more than US $ 800 million from protecting food and cash crops in affected areas and efforts ensured food security,” he said. Kasajja.

Authorities said that while the country has been successful so far, it needs to be vigilant.

“FAO considers its fight against the rapid spread of desert locusts in East Africa to be one of its top priorities,” said Antonio Querido, FAO Representative in Uganda, at the award ceremony.

The kit included two mobile storage facilities, vehicles, personal protective equipment, mobile phones, camping equipment, and surveillance kits.

According to the FAO, a very small swarm of locusts eats as much food in a day as about 35,000 people.

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