LOCUST PLAGUE HITS CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL IN RUSSIA

Jude Fri 31 Jul 2015, 19:51

Published on Jul 21, 2015
Russian/Nat

A massive locust plague has hit Russia's central agricultural belt attacking tens of thousands of hectares of crops.

In Northern Kazakstan and Siberia swarms of crop eating locusts descended on poor farming areas and have eaten their way through over 60-thousand hectares of crops.

Local officials predict they will have to start evacuating the local population or they will face starvation.

Across the central belt of agricultural Russia the insects have been attacking crops throughout the last month as temperatures soared to the mid-30s (celsius).

Swarms of crop-eating locusts have over the weekend descended on the impoverished farms of Siberia and northern Kazakstan, leaving the local population facing starvation.

Local officials predict they will have to start evacuating the local population or they will face starvation.

The insects have eaten their way through 60-thousand hectares in one small Russian district alone on the border with Kazakstan.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"I don't know, everyone is left to fend for themselves now. Whoever can will scratch something out. It's not just potatoes, people can't cut the grass....the harvest, bread, they (locusts) eat everything."
SUPER CAPTION:Slava, Farmer

Experts say every crop-eating locust plants around 100 to 150 eggs in the ground, so fears are that this years wrecked harvest in Siberia will be devastated by an assault of new-born insects next summer.

In the Karasuksky district of Novosibirsk region, which borders on the former Soviet republic of Kazakstan, authorities are gloomy.

Head of the local administration Viktor Gergert says his region just does not have the money to buy the huge quantity of insecticides needed to kill off the locusts.

When APTN filmed these pictures on Saturday authorities could not spray a single drop of insecticide - supplies are exhausted.

In the remote border village of Demidovka, the elderly have no shops - they grow and bake all their own food.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"They say there will be hunger. They told us the locusts come from Iran, where there is terrible hunger now. So we think too that death is coming our way. What can you do?"
SUPER CAPTION: Semyon, Villager

The destruction of their crops leaves the locals with the prospect of starvation unless the central government can find the resources to help them soon.

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