Locust invasion wrecks havoc in West Sumba

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

Thousands of hectares of ripened corn in six districts in West Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), have been destroyed by swarms of locusts over the past few months.

The locusts first appeared at the end of last year and their numbers have continued to increase.

At least 1,500 hectares of corn have been lost to the locust plague in West Sumba regency, some 1,000 kilometers west of Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province.

The local government has sprayed the fields with insecticides, but this has done little to stop the invasion.

West Sumba regency Agriculture and Horticulture Office head Obet Umbu Ngailu said the government was doing what it could to stop the locusts and save the corn.

"The government has been trying to suppress the population of the pests by spraying pesticides for several months. Hopefully, this will have the desired outcome," he said.

He said the damage caused by the locusts had been categorized as serious as thousands of hectares were at risk of being destroyed.

Over the past three years, swarms of locust have destroyed thousands of hectares of paddy and corn in East Nusa Tenggara.

In the current planting season, locusts have ravaged rice and corn crops in West Sumba, Belu, northern Timor Tengah and Manggarai regencies.

There has been no official announcement on material losses caused by the pests.