Madhya Pradesh: Locust swarms leave Malwa-Nimar

INDORE: The worst is over - farmers of Malwa-Nimar region can now heave a sigh of relief as locust swarms have moved out of Madhya Pradesh and is likely to enter Delhi, experts from the Centre-led Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) said.

According to LWO member Dalip Kumar Choudhary, they are keeping a close watch on the presence of locusts across Madhya Pradesh, but in last two days, no insect attack has been reported.

"Locusts had first entered MP's Neemuch and Mandsaur from neighbouring Rajasthan on May 17 and marked its presence in nearby Ratlam, Ujjain, Dewas, Shajapur, Morena, Sheopur, Indore and some other districts," he said, adding that the wind is in the direction of Delhi and there are high chances of an attack on the national capital.

"In India, locusts usually remain active between July and October but this year, the problem has been reported due to migration of locusts in sandy soil areas of India for breeding from Pakistan, Iran and African countries," Choudhary said, adding that they are educating the local administration of affected areas and also grooming villagers to deal with the menace, which has minimised the damage to a great extent.

Choudhary added that locusts, when turns mature/green, will return to Rajasthan as they lays eggs only in sandy soil areas. "While our teams are active to kill locusts using insecticide spray, the local administration is surveying loss to crops to compensate the affected farmers," he added.