Wednesday 08 / January / 2025
Muscat: Spraying operations, to control the spread of desert locust swarms have begun in villages in Al Amarat and Quriyat.
A statement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said, “The ministry announces to citizens, livestock breeders and honey bee keepers the beginning of spraying operations to control the desert locust at villages in Al Amarat and Quriyat, where there are swarms and groups of desert locusts.” The ministry noted the necessity of caution and cooperation for the public interest.
A FAO bulletin issued last Thursday, January 28, 2020 warned of the spread of locust swarms on the eastern coast of the Sultanate and said that they are expected to head south during the coming days, due to the frequent rains in the last period.
The FAO bulletin said that: “Locusts will increase further as a new generation of breeding starts in the Horn of Africa. “
A statement by the FAO said, "In Oman, ground control operations continue against hopper bands and several locust swarms in the northeast. A few small swarms migrated southwards along the eastern coast, reaching Salalah.”
Swarms of locusts were seen in Wadi Hatat and Jahlout in Al Amerat, Muscat governorate on Friday
The FAO bulletin also said: “The current desert locust situation remains extremely alarming and represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihood in the Horn of Africa. This will be further exacerbated by new breeding that has commenced, which will cause more locust infestations.”
