FAO warns of locust invasion of Yemeni regions

ROME, Aug. 07 (YPA) – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned on Monday of the proliferation of desert locust swarms in parts of the interior regions of Yemen and the coasts of the Red Sea during the coming period.

The organization said in a statement that the emergence of desert locusts began last July with the arrival of immature groups and swarms coming from Saudi Arabia as a result of combating them there.

It stated that Saudi Arabia witnessed the spread of desert locusts as a result of the heavy rains and floods that occurred in late December of last year.

FAO also revealed that the second half of last July witnessed the emergence of highly mature insects near Ataq city in Shabwa, Hadramout Valley, and the plateau, as well as in the east near the border with the Sultanate of Oman, which increases the possibility of their reproduction during the coming period.

The locusts caused severe damage and losses to agricultural crops in a number of Yemeni provinces, affecting the conditions of farmers and citizens alike.

YPA