A locust operational technician spraying plants with pesticide

Regional meeting to discuss preparations for the winter breeding season

15 November 2015, Cairo - During October’s field survey results of the ]Desert Locust Monitoring and Control Center in Yemen, announced that heavy rains commenced in October in winter breeding areas along the Red Sea in Tohama coastal plain and Gulf of Adan. As a result, ecological conditions are likely to become favourable for all locations in that area.

Scattered immature and mature solitarious adults were seen during a survey on the Red Sea coast near Bayt Al Faqih Al-Moraah and Al Kateem with a density ranged from 5 to 25 Locusts in a hectare.

In light of these warning signs, the Desert Locust Monitoring and Control Center in collaboration with concerned authorities will closely monitor the situation and carry survey fields in winter breeding areas in the next period, to observe any potential threats or developments in the locust situation and take the appropriate actions in a timely manner.

“FAO is following carefully the likely developments and ways of prevention, mainly through early warning and early reaction, to avoid any massive upsurge in locust numbers.” Said Salah Haj Hassan, FAO Representative in Yemen.

FAO confirmed in a press release that was on 11 November, that unusually heavy rains fell over a widespread areas along both sides of the Red Sea. As a result, ecological conditions will become favourable for breeding in coastal areas of Sudan, Eritrea, southeast Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen and, if the rains continue, there would be sufficient time for two generations of breeding to occur this year.

FAO experts also mentioned that the Desert Locust situation remains calm in October and locust numbers remained low. But above-average rains related to El Niño associated with tropical cyclone Chapala and Mage are likely to result in favourable ecological conditions in n the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa.

On the other hand, knowledge of early preparations carried out by the locust breeding countries in central region in the Arabian Peninsula and Red Sea, FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region called for risk prevention preparedness meeting in early December to discuss preparations for the winter breeding season, follow-up the national contingency plans prepared by those countries and strengthen the cooperation and coordination between member states to ensures easy exchange of updated information on locust situation, as well as an attempt to overcome potential obstacles that may face locust control units in the control operations in some countries.