Food production steady in West Africa despite locust plague

A mammoth locust infestation that destroyed crops throughout West Africa this year has not seriously affected food production in most of the region, according to the United Nations.

The insect plague did, however, cause severe crop losses in some areas, particularly the hard-hit desert nation of Mauritania which lost up to half its food crop this year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said.

The locust plague has now largely shifted to North Africa, but locusts are still active in Mauritania and “the damage could get worse” there, FAO said.

Total cereal production, including rice, corn and wheat, in the semi-desert Sahel region was about 11.6 million tons in 2004. That’s roughly the same as the average yearly output for the last five years, but less than the record 2003 harvest of around 14 illion tons, FAO said.

The Sahel is a swath of Africa south of the Sahara that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Mauritania lies on the Sahel’s northern edge.

Locusts are present every year in Africa, but this year’s swarms were especially large because of prolonged periods of heavy rainfall.

FAO said farmers in Mauritania, as well as some parts of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal, were in desperate need of seeds and fodder to plant new crops.

The Rome-based organisation singled out Mauritania as the hardest-hit.

“Mauritania has already faced several years of drought and poor harvests. The ability of the Mauritanians to cope with this situation has been exhausted,” FAO said. “Households largely dependent on their own crop production and livestock herds for family food needs are especially at risk.”

The UN findings were based on preliminary reports from UN. Missions to nine countries in the region. A full report is expected by the end of November, FAO said.

Huge locust swarms are still present in Mauritania and Niger, but the insects have begun moving northward in search of food. They’ve reached the Maghreb region of North Africa, which includes Morocco and Algeria. The FAO said: “Intense ground and aerial control operations are underway.”

Some swarms have reached as far away as Lebanon, Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete, FAO said.

The FAO has called on donors to contribute £540m (€773.2m) to help fight the plague, but has received only about £28m (€40m) so far.

“While the focus of the battle against the desert locust has now mainly shifted to North Africa, millions of dollars could be saved in the future if countries invest in the early surveillance of locust breeding areas and targeted control campaigns,” FAO said.

Locusts resemble flying grasshoppers and eat their weight – about two grams, or 0.07 ounces – in crops every day. Swarms can number in the billions and travel 120 miles a day, according to the FAO.

The FAO said last week that locusts will plague western and northern Africa for several years.