According to Uganda’s agriculture ministry the locusts which entered Uganda on 9th February, swarms of locusts entered into Uganda through Amudat and have now been sighted in 17 districts; Abim, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, Agago, Katakwi, Nabilatuk, Moroto, Napak, Kotido, Kole, Kitgum, Karenga, Kumi, Ngora, Soroti, Amuria and there are reports of sightings in Lango, Acholi and West Nile sub-regions.
The ministry says the existing swarms have now been classified as mature adult locusts that may not have much longer to live after laying eggs
The swarms of locusts in Uganda continue to spread to other districts in the region and laying of eggs is expected to continue while other locust swarms are still invading Uganda from neighboring Kenya.
According to Uganda’s minister of state for animal husbandry Bright Rwamiramthe Uganda is to use two aircrafts for spraying, and one UPDF airplane for surveillance and mapping where the locusts are laying eggs.
Rwamirama has assured Ugandans that the situation is now under control, and government has hired experts from desert locust control organization, food agriculture organization (FAO), and European Union, to train extension workers, and UPDF officers, on how to deal with Locusts.
He also noted that government is sensitizing the public, on how to spray locusts through local council system and other systems of government.
He also advised Ugandans to desist from eating the already sprayed locusts, adding that they are dangerous to their health.
A new generation of locusts is expected to hatch this month and with new swarms expected in early April that would coincide with the next season of planting.
The locust invasion that has been described as the worst in decades has already ravaged Kenya and Somalia and spread to Djibouti, Eritrea, and Tanzania and South Sudan.
The food and agricultural Organization FAO is warning of severe food shortage as a result of the invasion.
CN/abj/APA