Kazakhstan and Russia join efforts to counter locusts

Kazakhstan and Russian are joining efforts in countering locusts, Cannel 7 reports. An invasion of the insects has been registered in the bordering Aktobe oblast of Kazakhstan and Orenburg oblast of Russia. Representatives of the Agricultural Ministries of the two countries have already arrived to the bordering territory. The officials and farmers are concerned that the locusts may destroy the crops: their larvae have already spread at almost 800 thousand hectares of lands. “Grain and wheat that we have sown with so many difficulties, as they say by the sweat of our brow, may die. And it will die very simply by being eaten by locusts,” farmer Gennady Malichenko said. Chairman of the State Agricultural Complex Inspection Commission of Kazakhstan Agriculture Ministry Saktash Khassenov said that Russian experts were late in their actions, as the farmers are the ones responsible for disinfection in Russia. Where as Russia called to not take sides and join efforts in countering the insects. “We found a common language at the level of our administrations, ministries, departments. We exchange information on a daily basis and are take all the measures without blaming each other, to jointly perform the work,” Minister of Agriculture, Food and Processing Industry of Orenburg oblast Mikhail Maslov said. The countries have already bought the necessary chemicals and started treating the territories. The experts now have around two weeks before the first locusts grow up from the larvae and countering them becomes extremely difficult.