Monsoon winds reduce fears of locust infestations in India

By Adnan Mahfuz Tazvir

With the onset of monsoon in Bangladesh, the risk of locust infestation in Bangladesh has reduced. This insect can breed and move, usually in dry weather.

But due to water vapor in the air and increased rainfall, the insect could not move from the central part of India to the eastern state, namely West Bengal. The group of insects is returning to the Pakistan border from central India.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) provided the information at a meeting on Thursday.

Keith Chrisman, FAO’s senior locust monitoring officer, made the keynote address. Agricultural experts of Bangladesh and top officials of the Ministry of Agriculture attended the online meeting.

At the meeting, Keith Chrisman said that the wind had protected Bangladesh from locust attacks this time. Locusts are usually the insects of desert areas. Due to favorable weather, it enters India through Pakistan via China. It damages the crops of the northern and central states. It was rapidly

advancing towards the eastern Indian states West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha. There was also a risk of extensive damage to crops.

But before the insect could spread rapidly, monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal reached Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. Chrisman said that wind had created unfavorable weather for locusts.

As a result, they are less likely to come to Bangladesh.
Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Nasiruzzaman said the information about the movement of the locust reveals today will help the government to formulate the next plan for agriculture. However, with the FAO’s help, the government will monitor the locust’s movements regularly.

Mr. Robert D. Simpson, Bangladesh Country Representative of FAO, said, the FAO is monitoring locust movements around the world.
The location of this insect in South Asia, including Bangladesh, will be monitored regularly.