Heavy rains and cyclones have triggered a recent surge in desert locust populations that is rapidly spreading to KSA, the FAO has warned.
The UN agency called on all the affected countries to step up
vigilance and control measures to contain the destructive infestations
and protect crops from the world's most dangerous migratory pest.
Desert locusts are a type of grasshopper that can form large
swarms and pose a major threat to agricultural production, livelihoods,
food security and the environment and economic development.
Adult locust swarms can fly up to 150 km a day with the wind. Female
locusts can lay 300 eggs within their lifetime while an adult insect can
consume roughly its own weight in fresh food per day - about 2 g every
day. A very small swarm eats the same amount of food in one day as
about 35,000 people and the devastating impact locusts can have on
crops poses a major threat to food security, especially in already
vulnerable areas.
According to the FAO, rains along the Red Sea coastal plains in Eritrea and Sudan
have allowed two generations of breeding since October, leading to a
substantial increase in locust populations and the formation of highly
mobile swarms. At least one swarm crossed the Red Sea to the northern
coast of KSA in mid-January,
followed by additional migrations about one week later.
In the interior of KSA, two generations of breeding also occurred in the southeastern Empty Quarter region near the Yemen-Oman border after unusually good rains from cyclones Mekunu and Luban in May and October 2018 respectively. A few of these swarms have already reached the UAE and southern Iran with a potential risk of spreading further towards the India-Pakistan border, the FAO predicted.
"The next three months will be critical to bring the locust situation under control before the summer breeding starts," said Keith Cressman<,
FAO's Senior Locust Forecasting Officer.
"The further spread of the
current outbreak depends on two major factors - effective control and
monitoring measures in locust breeding areas of Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia
and the surrounding countries, and rainfall intensity between March and
May along both sides of the Red Sea and in the interior of the Arabian
Peninsula."
The February forecast places a moderate risk that some swarms will cross the Red Sea to the coastal and interior areas KSA.
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