Deir Ezzor-Sana
The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatna, briefed today on the reality of agricultural crops in a number of fields in the western countryside of Albu Kamal, after the Deir Ezzor Governorate informed the ministry of the presence of swarms of locusts invading the wheat fields in Al-Bukamal region, so that the necessary measures will be taken to combat them.
In a statement to SANA, Minister Qatana stated that as soon as Deir Ezzor governorate informed the ministry yesterday evening that swarms of locusts were invading wheat fields in the Albu Kamal region, pesticides were prepared and the necessary mechanisms to combat them, as 2200 liters of pesticides were provided and shipped in the morning by plane to Deir Ezzor.
He added that as a result of the field sensory inspection of the affected peasants' fields, it was found that there are simple groups of desert locusts, not large swarms, but they need the necessary control.
He pointed out that the situation is reassuring and that these quantities of locusts coming from the direction of the Iraqi borders are "very simple and do not rise to the level of a pandemic," stressing that Syria participates in the Locust Control Authority through which the participating countries are informed in advance of any waves of locusts heading towards them, but the commission did not know The ministry discloses any prediction of the arrival of locusts on the Syrian lands.
In turn, a number of farmers confirmed to SANA correspondent that large numbers of locusts attacked the agricultural fields in a number of villages in the western countryside of Albu Kamal coming from the direction of the Iraqi borders and settled in their fields.
The governor of Deir Ezzor, Fadel Najjar, and the secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party branch, Raed Al-Ghadhban, participated in the tour.
