FAO locust swarms prepare the invasion of North Africa

FAO warns that locust swarms are preparing for an invasion of North Africa

The UN agency Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said via a statement that Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Mauritania, should coordinate their efforts and resources to organise the defense of their area against invasion preparing, swarms of locusts large magnitudes.

"Swarms of young adults in Chad and on the verge of forming in Mali and Niger, following heavy rainfall in the summer that favored two generations of breeding and multiplying by 250 triggered locust populations in these countries "said Keith Cressman, head of the FAO Locust Forecasting.

He added, "The winds and historical precedents suggest that swarms, once trained, will head to Algeria, Libya, Morocco and southern north-western Mauritania ... And then they could cause damage to pastures and rainfed subsistence crops. "

Swarms in the tens of millions of adults can travel 150 km per day.

Females lay 300 eggs during their lifetime, and an adult locust can consume its own weight in fresh food per day.

A swarm of tiny dimension eats more or less the same amount of food in a day as 35,000 people.

FAO said it is following with great attention the situation in Niger and Chad, but much less so in Mali, given the ongoing conflict.

To this end, the FAO stated that Morocco with appropriate stocks of pesticides, will make donations in Mali, Niger and Chad to organise a defense at forward points.

Note that the locust is controlled in Morocco by air interventions made by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as actions on the ground through seasonal recruitment by the Department of Agriculture.