This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.
An invasion of locusts fromNorthwest Africa continues to affect several countries. The UnitedNations said the number of insects invading crop areas in Mali,Mauritania and Senegal increased in the past two weeks. Locusts havealso entered Niger. And the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organizationwarned last week that locusts could reach Burkina Faso as well.
But the F.A.O. said there were signs of improvement in otherareas. Intensive operations to control the locusts began inNorthwest Africa in February.
The huge movement of locusts started in Algeria and Morocco.Young locusts began to leave their native territory to search fornew places to mate and lay eggs. This migration can cover hundredsor even thousands of kilometers.
Winds can help the flying insects travel long distances. In July,some desert locusts from North Africa arrived on the Cape VerdeIslands. The islands are five hundred kilometers from the coast ofAfrica.
During migrations, locusts eat huge amounts of food. The Food andAgriculture Organization says locusts eat their own weight in foodevery day. One locust weighs only about two grams. But one ton oflocusts can eat about as much food as two thousand five hundredpeople.
Several countries have asked for aid to control the locusts. Sofar, there have been international promises of nine million dollarsin emergency assistance. Officials from nine countries organized ameeting last week in Algiers to discuss ways to deal with thecrisis.
Algeria and Morocco have used chemical poisons. The two countrieshave treated more than one million five hundred thousand hectares.But good weather conditions have helped the spread of locusts to thesouth.
Chemicals can be used to kill existing groups of insects. Butmost of these insecticides are very poisonous and should be keptaway from places were farm animals may feed.
By the middle of July, there was a decrease reported in thenumber of hectares treated in Morocco and Libya. The F.A.O. saidthis suggests that the situation should become calm in the area inthe next few weeks.
Experts say it is important to treat a locust outbreak quickly.After an outbreak, farmers can turn the soil in their fields in lateautumn. This can help to destroy some locust eggs.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter. This is Steve Ember.