Japan to provide insecticide to Pakistan to battle locust swarms invasion

Islamabad: Apart from assisting Pakistan in its fight against the COVID-19 contagion, the Government of Japan, in collaboration with a Japanese NGO and some private organizations, is all set to provide insecticide to the Government of Pakistan to support their efforts for combating the serious threats emanating from the desert locust’s attacks in the agricultural fields of the country.

To this effect, a Japanese NGO (CWS-Japan) will hand over 58 kilo liters of insecticide “Lambda Cyhalothrine EC 2.5” to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of the Government of Pakistan through the CWS-Asia, partner NGO of the CWS-Japan this month to combat desert locusts. In addition to this, CWS-Japan will also extend support to the Pakistani farmers who have been affected by the desert locust’s invasion.

In this backdrop, MATSUDA Kuninori, the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, today on June 9 visited the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and held a meeting with its Chairman Lieutenant General Mr. Muhammad Afzal, to express Japan’s commitment to support the Government of Pakistan and its people for minimizing the damage caused by desert locusts.

During the meeting, the Ambassador informed the Chairman NDMA about the upcoming support from Japan to Pakistan through a Japanese NGO CWS-Japan. The Ambassador said that the damage being caused by the desert locusts to crops and other agricultural products is a serious problem not only in Pakistan but also in other South Asian countries which face similar situation is and that this plague is becoming an imminent threat to the world’s food supply.

Ambassador MATSUDA further stated that in the midst of intensifying impact of coronavirus pandemic on health, it is imperative to successfully control the locust’s infestation in order to secure the livelihood and food security of the vulnerable communities of Pakistan.

Realizing the seriousness of the issue and in light of a long-standing friendship between our two countries, the Government of Japan, along with CWS-Japan, will support the people of Pakistan especially the farmer’s community battling against desert locusts swarms, said the Ambassador.