Locusts won't be eradicated until next March, minister
Morocco, Economics, 12/25/2003

Moroccan minister of agriculture and rural development, Mohand Laenser, said Tuesday efforts to rid some 16,000 ha in southern and eastern regions of locusts will not yield fruit until March 2004.

As soon as locusts were spotted in the Boulemane Dades region in mid-October, specialized land teams, spraying planes and 120 vehicles with the adequate pesticide were mobilized, Laenser said at question time in the Chamber of Advisers.

locusts movement is followed up on a daily basis, the minister affirmed, describing the swarms spotted in Ousserd, Gueltat Zemmour and neighboring areas as "limited."

End of October, a ministerial meeting was held to probe the threat of a locust outbreak and take preventive measures, after warnings by FAO.

Desert locusts are normally solitary, scattered insects, but when climatic conditions are favorable, for example after good rains and a mild temperature, they can rapidly increase in number.

Previous Stories:
  Mauritania fights locust invasion, Moroccan experts due to help   (12/11/2003)
  Morocco takes preventive measures against locust invasion   (10/30/2003)
  Locusts threaten Southern Morocco, Northern Mauritania   (12/15/1999)

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