DNA
ISLAMABAD, May 14 ((): A major Chinese Media House, the China Economic Net will host a seminar on Pakistan-China joint efforts to control locust.
Pakistan has once again been plagued with the problem of locusts, which inflicted substantial damage to farmlands thus threatening food security of the country and prompting the government to seek help from Chinese experts to tackle the issue.
In this regard, the China Economic Net has organised a China-Pakistan trade Hotline Cloud Salon with the theme of ‘Joint Efforts in Locust Control’ on May 20, as Pakistan’s agriculture sector is now suffering from the worst desert locust infestation in 27 years.
The seminar is aimed at stressing the urgency of joint efforts to combat locusts and strengthen regular thinking and forward-looking planning.
Earlier in March, President Arif Alvi and Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of an agreement on strengthening plant disease and insect pest control in Beijing.
To assist in dealing with this outbreak, China sent aid of 300,000 litres of pesticides and 50 sets of equipment to Pakistan.
The Chinese government delivered the pesticide sprays to the government of Pakistan which it promised late last in April to combat locusts in the country, which are now emerging as a threat to food security.
Beijing had promised to provide malathion (insecticide) along with high-efficiency remote sprayers and other equipment to Pakistan in a bid to control the locusts which are affecting a huge area of land in the country.
In addition to the sprays, plant protection drones, also included in the assistance package, were sent to the country.
