Drones to be purchased for locust control in KazakhstanIn Kazakhstan, phytosanitary services will be equipped with drones to monitor locusts, (…), the government press service reported.“Taking into account the large scale of the spread of locusts, the difficulty of working in hard-to-reach places and the importance of knowing the exact location of the larvae, the Ministry of Agriculture will purchase drones for territorial rounds of the State Inspection Committee in the agro-industrial complex to monitor locusts and compile accurate phytosanitary maps,” the message said following a meeting of the operational headquarters on locust control, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin.The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry were instructed to study the issue of investment subsidies for drones to treat crops against pests.According to the government press service, the area to be processed is 2.5 million hectares, most of which falls in the Aktobe and Kostanay regions.Processing work has begun in Aktobe, Almaty, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhetysu and West Kazakhstan regions.Treatment against the Moroccan locust, which is widespread in the Turkestan and Zhambyl regions, has almost been completed.In early May, the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Aidarbek Saparov, announced that he plans to carry out chemical treatment on an area of 2.5 million hectares to combat locust swarms. 8.1 billion tenge has been allocated from the republican budget to combat locusts.In recent years, Kazakhstan has seen an increase in the areas of locust accumulation. 2023-2024 marks the peak of the 11-year locust cycle.The organization of protective measures against locusts is carried out at the expense of the republican budget. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX