DUSHANBE, March 4, 2016, Asia-Plus – The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of Tajikistan has set up a special locust control commission and its first meeting is being held today, according to the MoA press center.
Japan will help Tajikistan combat locust infestations this year. The assistance will be provided in the framework of the Project for Improvement of Locust Management in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in 2016-2018.
Japan will help Tajikistan combat the damage to crops from locust plagues by working with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on research to eradicate the insects.
The Government of Japan in October last year concluded allocation of the budget of JPY596,000,000 (approx. USD 5.0 million by the rate 1USD=119JPY) to FAO for the mentioned project. During the meeting between Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, two documents for the Project have been signed by the following persons.
This project was proposed by the Government of Tajikistan to Fifth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July 2014 in the framework of “Central Asia plus Japan” dialogue and approved.
In Tajikistan, three out of the four provinces of the country are regularly affected by locust infestations. The southern province of Khatlon is the first and most infested, followed by Sughd and then by districts subordinate to the center.
