Business Daily (Nairobi)
Allan Odhiambo
13 January 2008
Nairobi — Dry weather conditions in North Eastern Kenya is a boost to the fight against locust invasion in the region, experts have said.
A Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report on the fight said the drying up of vegetation in the region had left the locusts with little to eat, slowing down the growth of the swamps.
"Recent reports suggest that the desert locust situation may be improving in Ethiopia and Kenya as a result of the dry weather conditions. Vegetation has dried out in most areas and locust infestations are declining," the FAO update said.
Kenyan and Ethiopian authorities have been conducting ground and aerial control operations against hopper band and swarm infestations in Kenya's Mandera and Moyale districts and in south east Ethiopia.
Heavy locust invasion is seen as one of the major food security risks in East Africa where harvests are expected to be lower than normal due to prolonged drought.
Kenyan authorities have allocated Sh28 million to fights against locust invasion including 30 vehicles and three aircraft.
Agriculture Permanent Secretary Romano Kiome recently described the degree of invasion as serious with locust population having risen to a high of 200 pests per square metre.
But even as prospects of winning the fight against the pests emerged, FAO warned that sudden improvement of weather conditions in the region could throw the operation into a spin.
"Although the situation may appear to be improving, all countries in the region should remain on high alert because there remains a high risk that some swarms may still be present and could move south to Kenya and perhaps west to Uganda or western Ethiopia," the agency warned.
On January 7, several swarms were reported to have invaded south and southwest Ethiopia where at least 10 districts may be affected. Swarms were said to have reached as far west as the Rift Valley in the south Omo area. Teams are being dispatched to confirm the situation.
Experts at FAO however said unless further rains fall, the swarms will not mature quickly nor will they be able to lay eggs. Analysts said Kenya would be lucky to escape the devastation of the pests on factors of weather because recent weather forecasts have shown that rains are not expected in most parts of the country at least on a short term.
The country witnesses a dry spell between the months of December and March with heavy rains coming through in April.
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