98.3% of Territories Treated: Kazakhstan Combats Locust Invasion

During a press conference at the Central Communications Service at the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ermek Kenzhekhanuly reported on measures to combat locusts. The ministry is actively preparing and conducting protective actions. Necessary volumes of pesticides, which have proven highly effective, were purchased timely. Suppliers have also been identified, and contracts for storage and transportation of these agents have been signed.

This year, it is forecasted that swarming locusts will spread over 2.5 million hectares, particularly in the Aktobe, Kostanay, and Turkistan regions. A total of 15.1 million hectares are under surveillance. Chemical treatments have already been carried out on an area of 2.4 million hectares, which accounts for 98.3% of the planned volume. The operations involved 427 units of specialized spraying equipment and 2,500 personnel.

Protective measures have already been fully completed in several regions, including East Kazakhstan and Kyzylorda. Due to adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rains and strong winds, monitoring and chemical treatments have been temporarily suspended in some areas, which has slightly slowed down, but not stopped the progress of locust control. A reserve of pesticides has been created for immediate response to outbreaks covering an area of about 500,000 hectares, and additional equipment has been sent to the regions.