NAGPUR: Swarms of locusts that had entered Katol and Parseoni in Nagpur district of Maharashtra over the last four days might move towards Ramtek city though it is difficult to predict their exact flying course, a senior agriculture department official said on Wednesday.
The swarms stretching up to 17 kms in length had first entered farms in Fetri, Khangaon in Katol in Nagpur district and in Ashti taluka in Wardha district on Saturday night and Sunday where they damaged orange crop and vegetable plantations in some areas, before moving towards Parseoni tehsil on Monday night.
Besides tracking the movement of locusts, officials are now trying to displace the pest from agricultural fields, the official said.
Divisional Joint Director of Agriculture Ravi Bhosale told PTI that officials rushed to the spots on Wednesday morning and started tracking the movement of the swarms.
"These swarms are moving towards Ramtek or Mouda (in Nagpur district).
However, one cannot say for sure where the swarms of locust will descend.
They might fly in the direction of Ramtek or might change the course, as they fly as per flow of wind," Bhosale said.
Citing challenges in tracking the course of locusts, he said they get properly spotted when they descend on trees during night time.
"We have to identify possible villages where these swarms would fly to.
Our team gets information about the movement of locust through drones or social media, but many times its villagers who inform us," he said.
Bhosale said his department is also assessing the loss caused to crops by the locust which devour on any vegetation.