Maghreban states draw up plan to fight locusts

Maghreban states have devised on Tuesday a joint action plan to fight locusts in the north African region, the general secretariat of the Arab Mahgreb Union (UMA) said in a release.

The plan is based on the consolidation of coordination between the five north African counties in information exchange, searching common means to control the locust invasion and raising awareness of the concerned regional and international organizations as to the need to bring urgent support for the implementation of this plan, the release said.

Maghreban experts evoked at an extraordinary meeting the measures adopted so far to fight the invasion of locusts such as the spraying of over 1.5 million hectares in UMA countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) with highly efficacious pesticides.

Besides, they exchanged information on climate conditions that encourage the apparition of locusts in Maghreban countries, the different steps of their invasion as well as the regions they invade, namely northern Mauritania, southern and eastern Morocco, southern Algeria, southern Tunisia and some regions western Libya, the release underlined.

The action group voiced resolve to eradicate this plague and reduce its impact on food safety in the region.