Authorities step up efforts as new locust swarm enters Nagpur dist
:A new swarm of locusts entered Nagpur district on Friday forcing district officials to step up efforts to tackle the shorthorned grasshoppers.
The swarm has affected 135 hectares of fruit orchards and vegetable farms in Vidarbha districts since May 24 , said officials from the divisional agricultural department. However, the state agriculture department said there had been no damage to productive crops so far.
“We were informed by our field officers that a fresh swarm entered from Amravati district into Katol tehsil, Nagpur. An existing swarm in this region was reported from Mauda tehsil (around 30 km from Katol),” said
Ravindra Bhosale, divisional joint director, agriculture. “We are moving teams to carry out pesticide spraying operations in both areas as soon as we get the exact location where the swarms settle for the night,” he added.
Around 50 hectares of fruit orchards, mainly oranges, and 35 hectares of vegetable farms have been affected across Katol, Kalmeshwar and Parseoni tehsils in Nagpur. “There is minimal damage to vegetables. Locusts have been eating leaves of fruit trees, which would have otherwise fallen during flowering. Farmers have not faced any economical losses so far,” said Bhosale.
More than 50 hectares of land were affected across Morshi and Warud talukas in Amravati district, said a district official. Suhas Diwase, state agriculture commissioner, said, “There is no crop damage in the sub-divison. Loss of vegetables is minimal. There are no instructions from the state so far to assess productive damage.”