Maghreban, West African countries examine coordination to fight locusts

Maghreban and West African countries will meet, in Algiers Tuesday, to examine coordination in the fight of locusts.

Moroccan Agriculture, Rural Development and fisheries, Mohand Laensar, flew to Algiers to take part in the meeting that opened Monday at the level of experts.

Nine countries, namely Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad are meeting to set up a common regional strategy to fight and prevent an invasion of locusts.

This strategy will require the mobilization of financial means with the participation of regional and international organizations, including the African Development Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

FAO announced July 5 that the first swarms of desert locusts were abandoning their spring breeding areas and heading into Mauritania, Senegal and Mali, with more expected in coming weeks.

Without immediate attention to the plague of locusts, FAO warned, entire fields of maize, cassava and other staple crops for the region will be razed to the ground by locust swarms.