In north of Chechnya, farmers struggle with plague of locusts

In the flat region of the Shelkovskaya District of Chechnya, about 6000 hectares of farmland are affected by plagues of locusts. A motor delta plane is mobilized for control of pests of the farmland.

"At present, locusts have grown up to be able to fly, and pests have the ability to quickly travel for great distances, and this is a serious danger to the neighbouring districts," a source at the Ministry of Agriculture of Chechnyatold the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to him, to successfully combat locusts, the total territory of 600 hectares is to be treated with pesticides. "We have a possibility to use only one motor delta plane for aerial treatment of fields, and we need at least four or five motor delta planes more," the official states.

Initially, the prospects for the harvest inChechnyawere very good; however, rains and locusts deteriorated the situation.

According to the director of one of the state farms of the republic, the situation in the fields is quite complicated, although it is not such catastrophic as it was in 2008, when they also faced massive locust invasion.

"At present, we hardly collect 20 centners per circle, while in the recent three years, the yield reached up to 35 centners per the circle," said the head of the agricultural enterprise in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He criticizes the Republic's Ministry of Agriculture, which, according to him, knowing that the threat of locust invasion occurs every summer, has not yet solved the problem with purchase of small planes or helicopters for aerial treatment of fields.