[ad_1]
ISLAMABAD: Amid accusations and counter-accusations about ways to curb the growing Covid-19 pandemic, the federal and Sindh governments have shut their horns on the desert locust issue that, if left unchecked, will jeopardize security food in the country.
The President of the People’s Party of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, recently released a statement saying that while the country is under threat from the locust attack, the Minister of National Food Security, Syed Fakhr Imam, was “on freedom”.
On Sunday, the food safety ministry filed a rebuttal, saying its ministry was working with the plant protection department beyond its mandate. He explained that after the 18th Amendment, the federal government can deal with lobster from an international perspective and maintain contacts with lobster monitoring organizations.
Bhutto-Zardari argued that despite numerous requests last year, the provinces were left to the mercy of the desert locust. “If the federal government fails yet again, the country will face another disaster in the wake of the desert locust attack,” he warned.
The Federation says that after the 18th Amendment it can deal with the problem only from an international perspective
In response to allegations by the Sindh government that the federal government was “doing nothing” about the lobster threat in the province, the food security ministry said the federal government was fully aware of its responsibility and was actively pursuing the threat. .
Mr. Imam said that instead of engaging in a blame game, all stakeholders, including Sindh, should develop a coordinated response to combat this threat. “We are confident that the nation will collectively respond in the best possible way to the challenge at hand,” as the government is in the process of revising the “National Lobster Action Plan” to make it more effective and resourceful.
The ministry said the locust threat was not limited to Sindh, but also affected other provinces. The present swarm of locusts seen in Sindh is from the Koh-i-Suleman range and not from Baluchistan.
As a precautionary measure, the Department of Plant Protection has deployed three ground teams, a helicopter, and a beaver aircraft in Sukkur.
Lobster migration will begin in late May from Baluchistan and neighboring countries. During migration, these migratory swarms were expected to pass through the cultivation area of Sindh, for which the provincial government can alert its agriculture staff to be ready for the response.
In this regard, 50 officials from the Sindh agriculture department have already been trained by experts from the Plant Protection Department, according to the ministry.
With low aircraft availability, maximum air traffic control activities were carried out on 20,300 hectares in Sindh last year, and will continue this year.
In 2019, an area of 185,000 hectares was treated in Sindh out of a total of 300,000 hectares. To overcome the aircraft shortage, the federal government is in the process of hiring planes to spray. Over 100,000 liters of ULV pesticide have been stored in Sindh and more can be provided on request.
The food ministry says 12 EC sprinklers for locust control in cultivated areas have also been deployed in various districts of Sindh.
In anticipation of the possible threat, the Prime Minister has evoked a “National Emergency” against lobster, and as a result, a “National Action Plan” was established in collaboration with the provinces. As a result, firm steps have been taken to inspect land areas in all provinces to take corrective action when necessary, the ministry added.
Posted in Dawn, May 4, 2020
