Geneva press briefing: FAO warms a large-scale outbreak of the Moroccan Locust in Afghanistan

Geneva – Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, speaking from Kabul, addressed the Geneva press corp on the warning of a large-scale outbreak of the Moroccan Locust in Afghanistan at the Biweekly Press Briefing organized by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva.

Trenchard said that there was potential of large-scale outbreak of the Moroccan Locust across seven provinces in north and northeast Afghanistan, the country's wheat basket. The Moroccan Locust was ranked among the most economically damaging plant pests anywhere in the world, which ate more than 150 species of plants, including tree crops, pastures and 50 food crops. A full outbreak this year could result in crop losses ranging from 700 000 to 1.2 million metric tons of wheat - up to a quarter of the total annual harvest.

Trenchard said that the last few weeks had seen an incredible last-minute “all hands on deck” response by communities, FAO, its NGO partners and the authorities, using traditional physical control methods to reduce the locust threat; “sweeping” locusts by hand into trenches or onto tarpaulins and destroying them. Thousands of people in communities across the affected provinces had been working day and night to kill the hopper bands before they become adults and begin to swarm. If the Moroccan Locust population was left untreated, it could increase its numbers by 100-fold in the next year, creating even bigger problems for agriculture and food security for Afghanistan and that of its neighbors.

Replying to questions, Trenchard said this was a heartbreaking story, whose impact could indeed be enormous. Physical control measures had been used in this part of the world for centuries, he said. There were limited supplies of chemicals, but people on the ground were working jointly trying to mitigate the effects.

FAO Liaison Office in Geneva

Based in Geneva, a hub of international cooperation and multilateral diplomacy, FAO Liaison Office (LOG) promotes to the Geneva-based partners FAO’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda through its 2022-31 Strategic Framework. Moreover, the Liaison Office monitors and informs the Geneva-based deliberations to strategically position the Organization in line with its mandate and champion key thematic issues. As part of its liaison work, FAO in Geneva cooperates with the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva to communicate and highlight the role of food and agriculture in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).