Egypt's Agriculture Ministry has teamed up with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to battle desert locusts swarming the Red Sea Governorate and Upper Egypt.
On Monday, Ragab Bakry, head of a state body under the Agriculture Ministry that controls pests, said the FAO is helping to organize efforts in several African countries being plagued by locusts.
Bakry added that Egypt has the situation under control in the communities of Toshka and Darb al-Arbaeen as well as the region between Safaga and Qena. However, pest control teams are still working to stop the spread of the insect in Marsa Alam and Hamata, which are the latest areas to be hit by locusts. The insect has also been spotted in the Upper Egypt communities of Halayeb, Shalateen, Abu Simbel, Alaqy, Al-Shiehk Shazly and east of Lake Nasser.
The pest control teams are working closely with the coast guard and military forces to ensure the swarms do not spread further, despite the fact that they are not currently reproducing, said Bakry. The locusts are believed to have come north via Sudan.
Edited translation from MENA
