ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) discloses that it has taken various measures to mitigate COVID-19 effects on the ongoing activities of preventing and controlling desert locust.
Plants Protection and Quality Control Director General at MoA, Woldehawariat Asefa told The Ethiopian Herald that the Ministry has given more attention than ever in the ongoing activities of controlling desert locust in connection with the effect of COVID-19 on controlling process across the nation.
According to the Director General, the locust is simply enabling to enter the country for any direction and actively reproduces itself in a short period. So, it needs active measures so as to ensure productivity.
In this regard, COVID-19 may challenge the ongoing measures of fighting desert locust, but Ethiopia has prepared adequate materials and skilled human power to facilitate the ongoing action. In this regard, the society also actively participating and the State of Emergency have given special authority for experts in the time of controlling locust therewith provide inputs which used for combating coronavirus.
On the other hand, the Ministry has hired six planes and three helicopters for chemical spraying in the selected areas of the country which are the main gate ways for the locust swarm. In this regard, FAO and World Bank are supporting the ongoing activities of controlling locust through renting planes, providing chemicals, timely information, and the likes. Likewise, Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) stands as information network which helps to sharing information timely among East African countries.
“Since COVID-19 and desert locust are pandemic and simply expanding, it is the means of damaging human interest or life. Therefore, other development partners should be supported the ongoing activities of controlling locust with similar aspect of fighting COVID-19,’’ Woldehawariat advise.
The Ethiopian Herald April 25/2020
BY MESERET BEHAILU
