With hostile border conflicts rangings all over, India, Pakistan and Iran are coordinating to fight one common enemy which has origins in Balochistan. Despite being gripped by COVOD-19 pandemic, India, Pakistan and Iran have joined hands to control the spread of the deadly locusts.
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New Delhi says that India is waiting to hear from Pakistan on a proposal for a collaborative action to battle the issue of desert locusts, according to reports. Meanwhile, Iran has already acknowledged and responded to the Indian action plan, which includes an offer to provide pesticides to restrain locust populations in Sistan-Balochistan and South Khorasan regions.
The action plan was recommended after reports emerged that swarms of the destructive pests were heading towards Indian after breeding and maturing in Iranian provinces and Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
India proposed the joint response to check desert locust populations to Iran and Pakistan as part of attempts to promote regional collaboration. India had proposed to Pakistan that the two countries could coordinate locust control operations along their border and Delhi could expedite the supply of the pesticide Malathion to the Islamic Republic, according to reports.
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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hopper bands of locusts are growing in the southwestern coastal plains of in Iran, and another generation of breeding has started in the region where hatching is taking place on the coast and in the interior of Sistan-Baluchistan.
In Pakistan, adult groups of locusts are moving towards the Indian states after breeding in Balochistan, where hopper groups are present, and from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
FAO reports hints the desert locust population is anticipated to shift from spring breeding regions in Balochistan to summer breeding along the India-Pakistan border. In India, more adult groups and small swarms have been reported which have impelled into Rajasthan.
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India has an existing regulated structure with Pakistan for such collaboration, including regular border meetings between locust officers of two nations. Six border meetings, led by plant protection officials of India and Pakistan are held every year from June to November.
There is consensus that the desert locusts could pose a serious issue in 2020. The agriculture ministry has already initiated plans to counter the problem. Earlier, Indian minister of state for agriculture participated in a virtual meeting for the southwest Asian region coordinated by FAO to discuss regional alliance to battle the desert locust problem,” an unnamed official said.
