India’s locust control wing is oldest in world

NEW DELHI: India has the world’s oldest desert locust control programme, dating back to 1939, establishedbyitserstwhilebritish rulers.thelocustwarningorganisation(lwo)wassetupinkarachi after a deadly locust plague between 1926 and 1931.

Between1939and1946,themain function of the organisation was surveillance in the Thar desert and issuance of warnings to the then Indian states about the possibility of desert locust swarms, their movement and breeding, according to the LWO’S Ready Reckoner.

In1946,thelwomovedtodelhi under the directorate of plant protection, quarantine and storage under the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare.

There were locust outbreaks of different intensities in India in 1812, 1821, 1843-44, 1863-67, 1869-73, 1876-81, 1889-98, 1900-1907, 19121920, 1926-1931, 1940-1946, 19491955, 1959-1962, 1978, 1993, 1997, 2005, 2010 according to the LWO.

Today, the LWO has 250 employeeswhosurveylocustpopulations and issue bulletins every fortnight that help farmers prepare for a locust invasion. LWO carriesoutlocustsurveysorpopulationmonitoringactivitiesinline with a survey schedule finalized at the beginning of every locust season, prepares and submits the locust survey reports for the department of agriculture and cooperation;organizesandsupervises locust control operations as andwhensorequired;coordinates with state governments and the

Border Security Force for locust controloperations,amongothers.

LWO also organises the Indopaklocustofficersbordermeeting for exchange of information on locusts, situation in their respective countries during locust season (June to November), the Ready Reckoner says.

“Even when there is no locust attack as such, we are surveying and making reports. We also coordinate with the Food and Agriculture Organisation to prepare for possible outbreaks,” said KL Gurjar, deputy director, LWO.