European Union Injects 10 Million Euros in Fight Against Locusts

The European Union on Friday announced its commitment to join the fight against desert locusts which recently invaded the East African region.

The EU expressed fear that the outbreak could have devastating consequences on food security in an already vulnerable region where 27.5 million people suffer from severe food insecurity and at least 35 million more are at risk.

Jutta Urpilainen, the Commissioner for International Partnerships stressed out that this crisis shows, once again, how fragile food systems can be when facing threats.

“The EU’s approach, in line with the Green Deal, puts sustainability at its heart. We must enhance the capacity to collectively respond to these threats and we also have a responsibility to step in now with resolve to avoid a major crisis, tackle the root causes of this natural disaster, and protect livelihoods and food production.” added Jutta.

The EU’s €10 million contribution is in addition to the €1 million already mobilized from humanitarian funds. The EU says it will follow a joint humanitarian-development approach to tackle the crisis and protect livelihoods.

This has come at a time when Uganda is in high gear of fighting the locusts which entered the country a few weeks back through Karamoja from Kenya.

The elimination of these locusts is being done through coordination of government ministries and agencies with the help of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).

The Desert Locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world. Crop and food losses in affected areas can be enormous, generating direct dramatic negative impacts on agriculture and livelihoods.

The situation has rapidly deteriorated over the past month in East Africa. The long rainy season which will start in March, will bring with it a new wave of breeding and further spreading in the region.

Damages to crop and pasture are already being reported across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, the three most affected countries, but losses may quickly spread to other neighboring countries, particularly Djibouti, Eritrea, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Yemen, Sudan, Iran, India and Pakistan are also at risk.

The FAO’s response plan estimates that around €70.3 million will be required for the most urgent activities for both Desert Locust control and agricultural livelihood protection and recovery.