Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry spokesperson Jonah Musheko said in a statement on Thursday that it is currently battling a third locust outbreak in the Karasburg District, Karas Region in the southern parts of the country.
“The initial control commenced on November 3, 2021, in the Karasburg district and by then, the infested area was estimated at approximately 800,000 hectares of farmland, and over 240,000 ha surveyed with approximate 2,000 ha treated/sprayed,” Musheko said.
The first outbreak was reported on September 21, 2021. According to Musheko, the ministry has been detecting swarms of brown locusts since mid-December 2021, and spraying teams have been dispatched and are in the field to date.
“As of yesterday, spraying was carried out at the farms Nakop up to Swartkop, covering approximately a total of 80,000 ha. These first instar locusts are still hatching, they do not move much and did not form groups yet. However, there are large swarms of adult locusts that migrated through the area while reproducing,” he added.
Musheko encouraged farmers to continue monitoring and scouting their farms and report any new incidents of locust infestations.