LAHORE– President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Irfan Iqbal Sheikh has feared serious food security challenge as locust attack is destroying the crops at vast scale.
While talking to a delegation, the LCCI President said that though government is working hard to control locust attack but efforts should be accelerated to avoid further damage to the agriculture sector of Pakistan.
He said that government should arrange effective aerial sprays to control locust and fully support the farmers in their struggle against locust as worst attacks in decades had devastated agriculture sector in various parts of the country.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that locust swamps have destroyed wheat, cotton, vegetables and other crops at vast scale in different parts of the country that should be a matter of great concern for all.
The LCCI President said that crops, particularly cotton had already been badly affected by rains and now locusts attack is adding fire to the fuel. He said that our farmer brothers are too much worried and compelled to see their crops being destroyed in front of their eyes with tears.
He said that they are trying to run the millions of locusts away through self helps and with desi methods due to lack of support from the concerned authorities. Despite all efforts, farmers are unable to save their yields. He said that gangs of locust landing the cropped area and destroying everything in minutes.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that the catastrophe has targeted some of the poorest rural parts of the country where poverty is already at its peak and farmers are heavily in debt.
“Millions of locusts are present in Pakistan and a failure to control meant they would grow and would become more devastating”, the LCCI President added.
Being an agrarian country, Pakistan cannot afford to lose its agriculture base. If it happens, the country would be facing a severe threat of food security and unavailability of raw materials for the industry that would make national economy vulnerable.
The LCCI President demanded compensation for the affected farmers so that they can pay back their loans and can earn bread and butter for their families.— PRESS RELEASE
