Locust attack in India: India ranks 5th in being the top agricultural country in the world. And the great section of the Indian population is employed in this sector and it is the major source of livelihood for them. Statistics say, approximately 58 percent of the total Indian population has agriculture as the source of livelihood. India has registered 9.87 million farmers.
This data reveals India being a rich agricultural land, if this richness gets affected then the scene would not be apt to view. And so has happened. Locust attack in India has shattered the crop. If not taken necessary steps, India and crop importing countries will have to deal with the ill effects of it.
How are these locust affecting?
“History repeats itself” this phrase absolutely fits the current locust attack. This attack had already taken place way back in 1993 and is repeated after the span of 27 years.
Farmers are worried that if the situation remains the same, the Indian economy will suffer a major set back. Already due to the pandemic Covid-19 economy has seen a steep downfall. The count of this locust swarm is close to 8 crores and had entered from Pakistan to Rajasthan.
The entire moong bean crop that was to be cultivated in summer has destroyed to a great extend by these locusts. If this continues entire crop will destroy and nothing will remain to export or even suffice the needs of citizens.
Where is this locust heading to?
This locust attack has already deserted five states of India i.e. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The government has initiated an alert for the other 12 states.
“The swarm of the locust is expected to spoil the crops and trees of the region to a great extend. In the wake of possible locust attacks in the city, we have tested the machines and now preparing to deal with it.” Says Ajay Kumar Sharma, a member of the team fighting with a locust attack.
Measures taken till date
To get rid of this locust attack people have tried several measures, some of them have worked a bit. But none was as effective as it should have been. Some of which includes:
- Beating steel utensils in late afternoon and evening.
- Playing loud music at night.
- Creating bonfire to irradicate locust with fire and immense heat.
- Running tractors in farm
People have locally devised a way to irradicate these locusts which are getting viral these days. Below is that video that encounters you in the devised way.
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It is expected that soon country will have a perfect way and chemical to kill these locusts and irradicating them completely and protect the crop which has yet not been touched by desert locust.
So this was all about the locust attack in India. Things are not as normal as they are appearing. Amid this pandemic, the nation is already dealing with a great economic setback. And situations like these are worsening the situation more. So it is a humble request, support the nation by staying safe. Stay home stay safe.