Gov’t risk losing UGX 218 million on food export as more swarms of locusts head towards Uganda through Kenya
Desert locusts invade Soroti – Business and traffic yesterday morning came to a standstill after desert locusts invaded Soroti Town and the surrounding areas.
At the time, residents in Soroti were seen up and down in panic drumming and making noise to chase the desert locusts away.
Gen Sam Kavuma the man spearheading the fight against the invading locusts said that it’s time to put the recently procured spraying planes to use.
Kavuma however, cautioned locals to stay indoor as the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) carry on the spraying exercise.
Desert locusts invaded Uganda from Kenya through Amudat and Moroto District weeks ago, with more expected to come in, but the government says it’s much more prepared to fight the locusts.
The first swarm of locusts was noticed in Uganda on the 9th of February, 2020, and ever since then; the country has been on the panic of control of these disastrous insects.
Efforts to fight the disaster have been combined, that’s between the inter-ministerial committee and UPDF, but the worst is yet to come.
Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries confirmed that a new swarm of locusts is heading towards the North-Eastern part of Uganda through Kenya; they are expected to enter Uganda in the next few weeks.
So, as a result of this crisis; Uganda is at risk of losing more than 800 billion shillings on food exports revenue this year.
“Collectively this would come to$218.3 million which is the potential revenue for Uganda, which is at risk for just 4 crops of the 11 crops or 12 at stake,” Ssempijja said.
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Ssempijja said the first invasion of desert locusts into Africa through Somalia has since laid eggs and their eggs have hatched billions and billions of locusts.
“The eggs in Yemen, the eggs in Oman and all these places, they were laid, by the way, those areas have insecurity, so these things were laying, laying. When these rains which you know about which were caused by the heating of the Indian Ocean, when these long rains came they rai
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However, Ssempijja says the government is well prepared with all resources put together to combat the crisis including the purchase of aircraft to fight the desert locusts.
“Aerial spraying aircrafts being received in the country are in Moroto as we speak; ground spraying is still being carried out as government procures more chemical supplies to be used by trained experts.”
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