Desert Locust:A Great Threatned to Farmers in the midst of COVID-19.

        Desert locus is one of the most devastating migratory pests in the world and is highly mobile and feeds on large quantities of any kind of green vegetation,including crops,pasture and fodder. The desert locust (Schistocera gregaria:Gryllus gregarius)is a species of locust, a swarming short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. Recently,10 species of locusts are known to the world.

       A typical swarm can be made up of 150 million locusts per square kilometer and is carried on the wind,upto 150 km in one day. Even a very small, one square -kilometer locust swarm can eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35,000 people. It is an international transboundary pest which threatens agricultural production and livelihoods in many countries in Africa,the Middle East and South and South western Asia. Its migratory nature and capacity for rapid population growth present major challenges for control ,particularly in remote semi-arid areas. The desert locust risk increases during the one-to-two year continuum of favourable weather and habitats that support population increases during upsurges and plagues. When that happens,the desert locust becomes one of the most internationally known and important insect pests.

        This desert locust have been great challenges to farmers. As they are already hugely affected by the current pandemic COVID-19. A great loss has been observed because the farmers are deprived of getting required inputs such as -fertilizers,improved seeds,etc. Apart from this,they aren't even able to sell their products to market due to which there is a great consequences in upcoming days. Now,total economy has stopped,transportation stopped then how the agri-products will get sold?Many countries advised the people not to come outside from the home ,some countries lockdown so that even their production even vegeatbles are perishable so ordinary farmer can't store his/her products in his house. Previously,with climate change farmer suffered a lot and now due to pandemic corona virus farmers good were get transported from one place to another place which leads to the poor income of the farmers community and after that surely these desert locust may be great threatned.

          In Feb 2020,the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation announced that desert locusts are destroying tens of thousands of hectares of crops and grazing land in North East  Africa. In India, according to previous reports,the locust storms have already invaded Madhya Pradesh and about 16 districts of Rajasthan and has caused huge destruction. An average small locust swarm eats as much as food in one day as about 10  elephants,25 camels or 2500 people.

     However,there are some solutions which can control the desert locust . Some of the insecticides are known to be effective when used in required amount. In my view,all the government,state government international  organizations should recently collabrate for the restriction of locust attack.