The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said that there are limited control operations in the north of Saudi Arabia against a few mature adult groups as desert locust has declined during the past period.
Based on the latest report issued by the Locusts and Migratory Pests Control Center on the desert locust situation in the neighboring countries of the Kingdom, the Ministry said that the situation remains very worrying in the Horn of Africa, specifically Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia where widespread swarm breeding continues and new swarms are starting to form, posing an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods at the beginning of the upcoming cropping season.
"The desert locust situation remains a serious concern in Yemen as hopper bands continue forming on the southern coast near Aden and immature adults starting to form groups due to heavy rains in Wadi Hadhramaut, while there are scattered adults on northern Red Sea coast."
"The situation in Iran is similar with hatching began on southwestern coast during the past few days, and more locusts are expected to continue hatching in southern Khuzestan, Busherh." Ministry added.
The Ministry confirmed that the situation is under control in Sudan, Eritrea, Oman, Iraq, Pakistan and India, where locust operations are being continuously carried out in those countries, noting a fall in the locust population there.
The Ministry continues to implement its seasonal plans to control locusts by carrying out surveillance and control operations against locusts and migratory pests in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also provides all the material, human, administrative and scientific capacities, as well as necessary facilities for the success of the operations to stop the locust invasion, protect agricultural areas and to prevent locust swarms from invading the neighboring countries.