A massive locust invasion in southern Ukraine is threatening sunflower and other crops, with the main reason for the uncontrolled spread of the pests being the war started by the Russian invasion, which prevents the use of proven pest control methods, writes Reuters.
The locusts, which can destroy crops over large areas in just a few days, usually breed in remote places along rivers or on uncultivated plots of land, and it is practically impossible to prevent the insects from forming favorable habitats in and near the front. The situation is further complicated by an extremely hot summer, a lack of opportunities for aerial spraying and a lack of birds, the locusts’ natural enemies, which avoid war zones.
Local officials and the government have refused to provide information on the size of the invasion or the damage caused. Ukraine is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil and was the fifth-largest wheat exporter before the war.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, swarms of locusts have covered roads, fields and bushes, and farmers said the insects have destroyed up to a third of their sunflower crop. Oleh Tolmatov, a resident of the village of Kushuhum, said they first noticed a large swarm, and then “foot soldiers” arrived.
The young locusts have eaten everything that was closer to the ground.
Russia has partially occupied the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, forcing farmers to abandon their fields. These regions traditionally grow cereals and oilseeds. Vadym Chaikovskyi, Ukraine’s Chief Phytosanitary Inspector, told Reuters that the reason for this situation is high temperatures, the abandoned land, and the Russian aggression.
Denys Marchuk, deputy head of Ukraine’s largest farm producers’ union UAC, pointed out that Russia’s destruction of the Khakhovka Dam in June 2023 has created vast marshy areas where locusts can breed unhindered.
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