Authorities brace for possible locust spread

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday said it was taking necessary measures to deal with the possibility of locusts entering the Kingdom from the Mudawarah near Maan Governorate, 220km south of Amman.

The latest signs and surveys showed that locusts may enter the Kingdom from the Saudi-Jordanian borders, Ministry Spokesperson Lorans Majali said, noting that the insects are 50 to 100 kilometres away from the country.

Majali said that the operations room in Maan is prepared to deal with the locusts through its specialised personnel, urging the public to accredit information only if issued by the emergency room that is currently in meeting at the ministry’s headquarters. 

The meeting includes representatives from the Royal Air Force, Gendarmerie Department, Civil Defence Department, Royal Desert Force, the Jordan Customs Department, and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, the spokesperson noted.

In late February, which witnessed a possibility of locusts entering the Kingdom, site surveys in areas that reported locusts, including Mudawarah, Aqaba and the border points, showed the presence of grasshoppers and other insects, but no locusts.

The presence of the grasshoppers across the country during that time of the year was normal, the ministry said at the time.

Although grasshoppers are similar to locusts in shape, their behaviour is different from desert locusts, according to the ministry, which added that grasshoppers do not usually form large groups or migrate in swarms.

Grasshoppers have far less impact on crops than locusts; however, they do feed on crops and the edges of leaves, thus still causing damage.