The Ministry of agriculture in Uganda has announced the invasion of Desert locusts in the country, these locusts invaded Uganda through Amudat District via North West Pokot in Kenya on Sunday.
According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) Desert locusts have demolished vegetation in Kenya as they move toward Uganda.
Desert locust,courtesy photo
Desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances; they can destroy about 192 million kilogrammes of vegetation in two days.
Desert locusts can live for up to five months, depending on weather. They can lay eggs that can hatch after two weeks, with locusts maturing to adulthood in two to four months on average.
Workers carry pesticides from a truck onto a waiting army helicopter, courtesy photo
The government of Uganda has procured 2,000 manual pumps and 18,000 litrers of cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos chemicals to fight against locust invasion.
According to Mr. Martin Owor, the Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness, in the Office of the Prime Minister, the process of spraying the pests will begin on Monday 1oth February 2020 and the ground surveillance teams are monitoring the movement of the swarms.
Desert locusts in Kenya, courtesy photo