Locusts swarms reach Nagpur, drones used to spray pesticides

Nagpur, Jun 10: Locust swarms moved from the Pench Tiger Reserve to Ajni village in Maharashtra's Nagpur district where drones were used to spray pesticides on crops and trees, an agriculture official said on Wednesday.

So far, no crop damage has been reported, he said. On Tuesday, locust swarms descended in the Pench Tiger Reserve, which is spread across parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, but no spraying of pesticide was conducted there as it is a protected area.

The short-horned grasshoppers later flew to Ajni in Ramtek tehsil of Nagpur, the official said.

"On Wednesday morning, drones were used to spray pesticides on trees andcrops in Ajni in the presence of State Agriculture University scientists," divisional joint director, agriculture, Ravi Bhosle told PTI.

Locusts were found sitting mostly on 'ber', 'babool' and 'anjani' trees, he said. "Paddy is yet to be sown in the area. There is no damage to field crops," Bhosle said. The locust swarms were now moving towards Mouda tehsil in the district, he added.