Bolivia begins fumigation against locust plague

by Dramelin 2:00 AM 0 comments

The locusts follows a severe drought in Bolivia which led to water rationing and conflicts over water use. The locusts were first reported in January and have already taken over 1,000 hectares in the province of Santa Cruz. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The government said it would help farmers started distributing fumigation equipmentLocal producers said they were desperately trying to identify where the eggs and locust nymphs were so that the could control the initial stages of the plague more effectively. Bolivian President Evo Morales said it was the first time his country had seen locusts. Bolivia is normally self-sufficient in grain production, and for the moment the area affected by locusts represents only a small fraction of the 100,000 hectares planted with grains in Santa Cruz.