DUSHANBE, June 3, 2011, Asia-Plus — To date, locust infestations have affect 143,100 hectares of lands in the country, Qiyomiddin Ghaniyev, head of the state unitary enterprise, Locust Control, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) said.
“The spring was dry and locust swarms moved from mountain areas into green valleys,” Ghaniyev said, noting that some 2,000 people as well as 55 special tractors and 2,000 hand sprayers have been involved in the locust combating campaign.
According to him, agricultural lands have been infested by locusts inconsiderably and they do not yet pose any serious threat to crops. “To-date, we have treated more than 114,000 hectares,” the Locust Control head noted.
“The Moroccan Locust has practically been annihilated, but repeated control operations have been carried out against the Italian Locust,” said Ghaniyev, “Locust infestations have increased in Panj district, Khatlon province in recent three days. Locusts have flown into Panj district from Afghanistan.”
Tajikistan last year adopted the national pest control program for 2011-2015 and 3.8 million somoni have been allocated this year to combat locust infestations.
We will recall that the “Technical Workshop on Locust Control (Caucasus and Central Asia)” took place in Dushanbe on October 18-22, 2010. It was organized in the framework of the FAO regional project, Improving Management of Migratory and other Locusts in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The following countries participated in the Technical Workshop: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia, the latest attending as an observer. Each country provided locust forecast and information on funds’ availability and campaign management for the next campaign. Most countries indicated that the 2011 locust situation would be similar to that in 2010.
In Tajikistan, in 2010, the area surveyed against locusts was of 275,000 ha, out of which 105,080 ha were infested. The total treated area was of 81,724 ha, which is somewhat lower than in 2008 (107,712 ha) and 2009 (93,286 ha). Control operations were carried out against the Moroccan Locust on 73,550 ha and against the Italian Locust on 8,174 ha. By administrative division, the treated areas were the following: Khatlon province – 49,950 ha; Sughd province – 22,889 ha; districts subordinate to the center – 12,585 ha; and Gorno Badakhshan –300 ha. There were cases of Moroccan Locust flights from Afghanistan into Qumsangir district, Khatlon province and from Uzbekistan into Zafarobod district, Sughd province.
During autumn 2010, a total of 235,600 ha were surveyed against locusts, out of which 86,100 ha in Sughd province, 103,000 ha in Khatlon province, and 46,500 ha in districts subordinate to the center. Locust egg-pods were found on 161,700 ha at the following densities: below 1/sq.m on 7,100 ha; 2/sq.m on 7,100 ha; 3-5/sq.m on 42,500 ha; 5-10/sq.m on 40,500 ha; 10-20/sq.m on 31,700 ha; and >20/sq.m on 12,100 ha.
