NEW DELHI, 28 FEBRUARY, 2020 (HPN) : Recently, swarms of locusts from the western end of India entered several areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. These locusts destroyed the crops of wheat, potato, mustard, cumin, fennel, jatropha, and cotton. The impact of locust infestation was witnessed in the region of Mehsana, Kutch, Patan, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha of Gujarat and Barmer, Jodhpur, Sriganganagar, Jalore, Hanumangarh and Chiru districts of Rajasthan.
To tackle this infestation, the governments of these two states collaborated with UPL in support of the farmers. UPL’s ultramodern Falcon machine from Adarsh Farm Services was used to control the locusts effectively.
Chlorpyrifos, DDVP [Dichlorvos (2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate, commonly abbreviated as an DDVP], and pesticides containing its mixture were sprayed because of which these locusts were destroyed over a massive area within a short span of time.
The agility of UPL did not only save the growing crops of the farmers, but it also saved farmers from a massive economic loss. Farmers have now started prioritizing DDVP instead of other pesticides because only DDVP possesses the potential to eliminate locusts.
UPL, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, controlled locusts in two ways. Firstly, when these locusts preyed on the crops and secondly, by spraying crop protection chemicals on them at their resting places like trees, barren land, etc. Both the efforts were successful.
In such a scenario, DDVP and its mixture have proved that it’s an effective arsenal against locust attacks. DDVP safeguarded farmers from massive economic losses, and it also saved thousands of tonnes of grains. If DDVP had not been used on time, then locusts would have caused havoc in the other neighbourhood areas as well.
In such a scenario, DDVP and its mixture have proved that it’s an effective arsenal against locust attacks. DDVP safeguarded farmers from massive economic losses, and it also saved thousands of tonnes of grains. If DDVP had not been used on time, then locusts would have caused havoc in the other neighbourhood areas as well.
DDVP is a pesticide developed after many years of research, which farmers in India have been using with considerable success for many years. Behind its success is DDVP’s unique knock-down (lethal) attack method, which slays locusts through a single spray.
However, as per the government order dated July 16, 2018, the import and the production of DDVP are banned from January 2019 and there is also an order to ban DDVP completely till 31 December 2020. India’s food crops are cultivated and consumed in the country itself. So before prohibiting effective pesticides like DDVP, especially, those produced after many years of research and decades of experience. According to experts and government departments, banning DDVP can be fatal unless restrictive measures are taken. Even today, DDVP continues to be used in countries like Japan, the US, and Canada. The impact of DDVP has been proved in the current migratory locust attack in the country. At present, agriculture and farmers of India and the world have witnessed the devastating effects of the destructive insects like the Fall Armyworm which ruin the entire crop in the field within a few hours.
According to 25 APD resident Subhash Legha, wherever the spraying machine used DDVP, locusts were destroyed and did not reappear in those places. The spraying gave farmers a huge relief from locusts at one go. Another advantage of using DDVP was that it did not cause any adverse effect on any other plant. Earlier the spraying conducted by farmers used to take a long time and their spray was unable to reach the top of the trees or bushes. Whereas when UPL’s Falcon machine was used, the spray reached the top, bottom and everywhere the locusts appeared, causing total liquidation of locusts.
Anil, a resident of 24 APD Anupgarh said that more than 95% of locusts have been wiped out due to spraying of DDVP which was done by the UPL team. Now their crops are protected, otherwise, the crops on which locusts preyed were destroyed by their attack. According to the farmers of 23 APD village, all the locusts were slain due to the spraying of DDVP. Earlier, most farmers used chlorpyrifos, but when chlorpyrifos was sprayed the locusts lost consciousness temporarily. While the use of DDVP destroyed the locusts, completely. When farmers sprayed with machines placed on their backs, the spray reached far down because of which it lost its effectiveness. While UPL’s Falcon machine sprayed and destroyed the grasshoppers sitting at the peak of a tree. The farmers, also, said that if the UPL team had not sprayed DDVP on time, then their mustard, wheat and gram crops would have been destroyed by the locusts. So, they are thankful to the UPL and the Agriculture Department.
Jaswant Singh Brar, Agricultural Officer, Sri Ganganagar informed that there were many locust outbreaks in the area of Anupgarh for three to four days. To control this, the Agriculture Department, as well as the farmers and the UPL team, contributed massively, because of which these locusts were liquidated on time. The team of UPL provided enormous support by spraying pesticides with their Falcon machines.
Tushar Trivedi, Project Leader, Adarsh Farm Services, said that UPL is always ready to support the farmers. During the locust attack, a team of 25 experts from UPL, the District Collector’s Office, Department of Agriculture, Central Locust Control Team, along with the Horticulture Department and farmers, were engaged day and night in the locust-affected areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan with the 25 ultramodern insecticide spraying Falcon machines. For effective control in 35 locust affected villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the teams sprayed DDVP pesticides on growing crops, barren areas and trees which can’t be reached by common spraying machines. ENDS
