40,000 Litres of malathion sent to Afghanistan to combat locust threat, India thanked for assistance
Locusts are a scrouge of nature and are known as vegetation-destroyers and their large-scale presence may potentially cause femine as foods crops are destroyed completely. Pakistan has Sen the locust invasion in early 2020, when the country had to declare a national emergency.
During the same period India too had witnessed a large-scale locust incursion in several states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, some parts of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Therefore on warning of a potential locust menace India has supplied 40,000 litres of Malathion, a pesticide used to fight locust menace, through the Chabahar port. Malathion, known for its efficacy in arid regions and minimal water usage, is considered a crucial tool in locust control. The aid not only addresses the immediate threat in Afghanistan but also serves to prevent the spread of locusts to neighbouring Central Asian countries.
The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture has expressed gratitude for this assistance, highlighting its significance in protecting crops and ensuring food security in Afghanistan.
“Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is grateful of the Government of the Republic of India and its people for supplying 40,000 liters of chemical material (Malathion) in the agriculture sector, to prevent the locusts menace, that the mentioned assistance arrived today through Chabahar port,” the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock said.
The assistance not only helps in preventing locusts in Afghanistan, but also prevents locusts from Central Asian countries, especially Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and is effective on crops in the region.
The malathion pesticide was supplied in two trucks and officially handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan government.
The ministry statement read, “Agriculture and livestock are inclusive sectors of humanity, which their benefits and harms are same for everyone, Afghanistan is a war-torn and backward country, and any country that assists with us in the field of disease prevention, research, promotion of mechanization and marketing of agriculture and livestock sectors, is considered as cooperation with humanity.
Even the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Afghanistan thanked India for supplying 40,000 litres of Malathion, a pesticide used to fight locust menace.
“Good to see we have allies in the struggle against #locusts in Afghanistan; thanks to the support of @IndianEmbKabul,” the Food and Agriculture Organization of UN in Afghanistan stated on X.
