BHUBANESWAR: As the possibility of locust invasion in Odisha from neighbouring Chhattisgarh appears high, the State Government on Monday said a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been issued to districts and field staff of the Agriculture department instructed to take preventive measures.
“We have appointed nodal officers for all districts and sensitised them on how to deal with the locust swarm. Control rooms have been set up to monitor their movement,” Agriculture Special Secretary SK Vashisth said.
An advisory has already been circulated to more than 8 lakh farmers through Ama Krushi helpline and 6.5 lakh farmers through WhatApp groups, he said. Vashishth said movement of the swarm largely depends on the wind direction and monsoon. The chances of locust coming to Odisha will be less in case of an early arrival of monsoon. Agriculture and Food Production Director M Muthukumar said, monitoring team has been constituted in each district to keep a strict vigil on the locust movement. Necessary measures are being taken to create awareness among the farmers, while the movement of swarms of locusts will be closely monitored at district and block levels, he said.
The department has requested the Locust Warning Organisation to provide real-time data of the movement of the pests. The migratory insects are likely to enter western Odisha in the next few weeks if the wind condition remained favourable.