locust infestation
7 January 2009
The Department of Agriculture and Land Reform urges all farmers in the
Northern Cape's locust infested areas to be on the alert for repeated
infestations resulting from this weekend's (9 to 11 January 2009) expected
rainfall in large parts of the Northern Cape province. Complacency on the part
of all stakeholders might result in renewed exterminating efforts.
Farmers in the affected Pixley Ka Seme district towns of Hopetown,
Petrusville and Strydenburg are requested to act swiftly against locust
infestations by:
* Immediately making contact with the Department of Agriculture's
Locust Exterminating Teams should they notice any swarms or breeding
activity on their farms
* Absent farmers are warned of suffering exponential losses should they
not give attention as their farms might be reduced to reproduction
hotspots and further exacerbating the plague.
* Farmers are still requested to allow immediate access to our ground
teams and to be rest assured that the chemicals that are being used are
highly environmentally friendly.
Our strict monitoring and controlling by 23 teams yielded positive
results in that no swarms had been reported in the morning of 7 January 2009
with four swarms having been successfully battled the night before and
most of the farmers acted responsibly in heeding to our SMS
warnings for them to immediately implement locust control
measures.
The exterminating operation continues despite a massive decrease in the
number of swarms.
For more enquiries, contact:
Thabo Mothibi
Cell: 083 255 8840
Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Land Reform, Northern Cape
Provincial Government
7 January 2009
