Locust invasion destroys crops in northwest India

A massive locust invasion has destroyed thousands of hectares of crops in northwest India, authorities said, with some experts yesterday terming it the worst such attack in 25 years. While officials have attempted to tackle the swarm with pesticides, farmers have deployed drums to drive away the insects, with videos showing schoolgirls banging on steel plates -- due to local beliefs that loud noise repels locusts. The invasion has damaged crops in half a dozen districts in the northwestern state of Gujarat, local government official Punamchand Parmar said Thursday. More than 5,000 hectares have been devastated in one district alone, Parmar said. The state’s agriculture minister R C Faldu said that from Friday onwards, 100 tractors carrying pesticides would be sent to the affected villages to get rid of the insects.

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