Locust swarms in the Western Cape are getting fewer and smaller but farmers in the province remain on high alert.
The province has been hard at work to combat infestations in the Central Karoo and Garden Route in recent weeks.
In an update on locust outbreaks in the province, Western Cape minister of agriculture Dr Ivan Meyer said that, while the threat of re-occurrence is likely, no further sightings of locust swarms were reported in the past week in Laingsburg. The number and size of swarms in Murraysburg and Beaufort West were also diminishing.
One swarm was sighted in Prince Albert and two swarms in Merweville. Another large swarm, moving in a south-eastern direction, was spotted 30 km east of Beaufort West, and hoppers have been sighted in the Kliprand area of the West Coast.
The Western Cape government has allocated R5 million towards combating the pest but despite the positive trends, Meyer said they were concerned with migrating locusts. “We remain concerned that swarms of locusts have migrated to the Eastern Cape, and we are also aware that eggs are lying dormant and will hatch in ideal weather conditions.”
Meyer’s department and the provincial disaster management centre are currently assessing the full extent of locust-related losses, as well as the outlook ahead.
The assessment report, Meyer said, will provide a basis from which to approach the national disaster management centre, in partnership with the Eastern and Northern Cape, for relief.
“We have to prevent an impending disaster. Doing so will protect the agricultural sector and livelihoods,” said Meyer.
Farmers frustrated by ‘lack of urgency’
Meanwhile, farmers in the Eastern Cape say authorities show too little urgency in its fight.
Speaking to Food For Mzansi, Peter Cloete, president of Agri Eastern Cape, said the damage caused so far was difficult to quantify. Locusts had reached large citrus farms in the province and, and if not controlled, could result in billions of rand in damages.
“There are hundreds of thousands of hectares that have been eaten. And how do you put a value on grazing land? But it will be billions.”
Cloete acknowledged government’s efforts to curb outbreaks, saying the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development had already spent large amounts of money to make huge inroads. However, he emphasised that more urgency was needed.
“You know what happens [when] you don’t follow through and finish something? You sometimes unravel everything you’ve done.
“Government has spent hundreds of millions of rand on these locusts. They had helicopters flying. They’ve done lots. It’s just that the wheels of government turn slowly. There’s no urgency, and that’s the frustrating part.”
He added that this year’s outbreak has been a learning curve for all the farmers in the region. It highlighted the importance of all industry stakeholders being prepared for outbreaks in future.
“What we seriously need to do is get our ducks in a row and be absolutely 100% ready for the next outbreak. Because a swarm of this size is laying eggs all the time, and if the conditions are correct, they will hatch… “
The Karoo region has seen locusts before, said Cloete, but not on this scale. “Once we get this under control, we need to push through and see that we get the poisons in place. We get them distributed to where they are needed so that we’re ready to go [next time], from day one.”
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