The dreaded swarms of brown locusts have been sighted across the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape prompting experts and farmers to call for urgent intervention from government and the private sector.
Enormous damage
Swarms of locusts are notorious for leaving in their wake a trail of destruction and extensive damage to seasonal crops. In 2020 western and central part of India including some parts of Pakistan were ravaged by waves of locusts causing enormous ruin to vast tracks of agricultural and pasture fields. According to reports, Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan and various parts of Horn of Africa have also been hit by similar catastrophe of marauding locusts.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the swarms that hit countries in the eastern part of Africa was “the worst infestation in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, in 26 years in India, and the worst in 70 years in Kenya”. The FAO estimates that if the problem persists and reaches plague levels, it could cover 20 percent of the earth’s land mass.
Favourable conditions
Nicol Jansen, president of Agri Northern Cape, said the swarms are still in the pedestrian stage, but would start taking flight within the next coming days. There are fears that the current torrential rains that are falling across the country will create conducive conditions for locusts to breed making the problem even more severe. Jansen said the most effective way of containing the locusts is through aerial spraying.
Combating swarms aerially
“Aerial [spraying] combating is currently the most effective option for managing the swarms. We urgently need support from the private sector to assist us in this way. We’ve already spent seven hours’ flight time in fighting the swarms, but we need at least 20 hours to complete the task,” said Jansen. He said ground and land management is the second-best option because of the vastness of the outbreak.
FAO and other expert also recommend aerial spraying as the most economic, safe and effective use of pesticides, which include bio-pesticides. They say aerial and ground spraying is necessary to reduce their propagation and prevent their spread to new areas and that it allows large and often remote areas to be treated rapidly.
Soliciting government’s support
According to Jansen they have approached Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) for assistance. He said the DALRRD is in the process of putting plans in place to eradicate the locust swarms with aerial spraying; however, the process may take longer. He added that the situation requires urgent aerial support as the resources on the ground were stretched to the limit.
The swarms have affected areas as far afield as Jansenville in the Eastern Cape to Merweville in the Western Cape. In the Northern Cape, the areas of Victoria West, Marydale, Kleinbegin, Vosburg and Richmond, amongst others, were worst affected by the locusts, according to Jansen.
Preventing the swarms from reaching crops
Added Jansen: “We cannot afford to allow the swarms to reach flight stage. This would mean a disaster of massive proportions, with enormous costs to the agricultural sector. It is therefore of vital importance that we prevent the swarms from reaching the irrigated crop production areas along the Orange River and in the Free State and North West.”
