Mutaafi affirms Sudan free of desert locust swarms

The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Dr. Abdul-Halim Al Muta'afi, has commended the stance of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its support to the ministry's efforts to combat Desert Locust in Sudan. He said in the joint press conference with the FAO delegation held Tuesday at the Sudan Media Center (SMC) on the situation of desert locust in Sudan that the reasons for the existence of locusts this year was the past heavy of rainfall. Dr. Al Muta'afi affirmed that Sudan is free of desert locust swarms and all what remains quantity of thei eggs which will be removed by burning them, noting to the locust combating campaign carried out with the value of 10 million dollars funded from the emergency budget . Meanwhile, the Director of Plant Protection Administration at the Ministry, Khidir Jebreel, said that Sudan is free of desert locust after eradication campaign carried out by aircraft on the areas attacked by the swarms.