University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf has directed agriculture experts to develop phyto-chemical bio-pesticides from the extracts of tobacco, Neem, Datura, and Castor bean etc to control locust .

He was chairing a meeting of agricultural experts including UAF Chairman Dr Mansoor Sahi, Dr Sohail Ahmad, Dr Ameer Rasul, Dr Muhammad Sagheer, Agriculture Office Plant Protection Imran Faraz, Research Officer UAF Ahmad Waqas and other notables during a field visit to Athari Hazari. He said that locust has emerged second corona virus in term of food security as it was playing havoc with food security. He said work on war footing was essential to fight the crisis to ensure the food security. He said after the 27 years, it had hit crops at the huge level. He said that to search food, locusts travel in swarms in millions. He said that they has initiated the working on locust life history, attacked areas, various stages with day, critical stage to hit for low pesticide, management techniques, potential threats, effect of climate changes, and mitigation strategies He said that the government has set up a consortium of the agricultural universities, Food Security Ministry, Agriculture Department NDMA, and PDMA others to work jointly on the locust. He said that UAF had designed a new sprayer for locust that can spell the spray-solution up to 50 feet high. He said that UAF has recently established a full-fledged locust control research centre. He said that being an agrarian country, we have to pace up our efforts to fight desert locust. He said according to the FAO, as many as 38 per cent of the total agricultural area in Pakistan has become the breeding grounds for the desert locust. He said that Pakistan is prone as locust breeding is taking place due to the wet winter this year. Imran Faraz said that they were taking all possible measures to control the locust issue.