Locusts to multiply following heavy rains in Puntland-FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement Tuesday the heavy rains experienced in Haafun and Bosaso had created a fertile breeding ground for the desert locusts.

“With these fresh rains and supported by prevailing winds, immature swarms that were present in the difficult to access highlands of Sanaag have matured and moved to Sool and Togdheer, seeking moist soils to lay their eggs,” FAO Representative to Somalia Etienne Peterschmitt said.

The FAO officials added that ‘rains and winds are two of the most favorable conditions for desert locusts to multiply rapidly and spread around fast to areas where they had been under control.’

For more than a year now, the desert locust upsurge across the country has been the worst ever experienced in decades.

It is estimated that twice the annual average of rainfall fell on Haafun and Bosaso. The heavy rains resulted in the death of at least eight people on Haafun.

With this new invasion of desert locusts, large areas of cropland and pasture are at risk of being damaged, with potentially severe consequences for agricultural, agropastoral and pastoral livelihoods in a context where food security is already fragile, FAO said.

Widespread breeding is currently underway in eastern Ethiopia, central and southern Somalia, coupled with a potential expansion to northern Somalia.