Maharashtra: Locust alert issued to Palghar farmers bordering Gujarat

MUMBAI: With huge swarms of locust having reached some parts of Gujarat, the Palghar district administration has issued advisory to villages bordering the state.
Farmers in Talasari, Jawahar and Dahanu, that are close to the Gujarat border have been advised to form groups and keep a night vigil in their fields.
Farmers have been advised to especially watch out for the locust between 7 pm to 9 pm when they enter the fields to rest. Burning tyres to digging trenches to prevent locusts from reaching a particular area are some of the measures farmers have been told to adopt.
In order to break a locust swarm apart, farmers have been advised to create atmospheric disturbance like making loud noise to disrupt the locust.
Spraying of insecticides late night or early morning has also been suggested. Agriculture officers have been directed to create awareness about the locust among farmers.
Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been affected by the swarms that destroy crops.