Astana (AsiaNews/Agencies) – From Afghanistan into Kazakhstan swarms of locusts are back in Central Asia, leaving barren fields in their wake. They come each year at the same time around April but this year a shortage of crops caused by the harsh winter forced them farther north and west where they attacked grain and cotton fields, fruit orchards and even grazing land for livestock.

In two months more than 220,000 hectares of farmland in Tajikistan, 200,000 hectares in southern Kazakhstan and 50,000 hectares in Kyrgyzstan have been infested.

Uzbekistan, western Afghanistan's Herat Province and Iran have also been affected.

Moving in swarms of millions, locusts can produce 500 more locusts each; their eggs can stay in the ground for five to ten years waiting for ideal weather conditions to hatch.

In Tajikistan, where more than half the population lives in poverty, food is already a problem. The authorities have had to mobilise the army to help the population but the government has little money for pesticides.

In Kazakhstan the government has banned grain exports to protect local consumers and keep prices in check, but it is still worried that it might not be able to contain the locust invasion.

“The drought has also left no grass for the herds,” said Serik Alzahov, deputy director of the regional Agriculture Department in South Kazakhstan Oblast.

If the insects wipe out the grassland, animals will have to be slaughtered. The alternative would be to move the herds to other areas, hundreds of kilometres away, but that is expensive.

The result is that speculators are already moving in, offering herders to buy up their livestock but at a low price. Many herders are indeed selling off their livestock since they cannot afford transportation for their animals elsewhere.

What is more in many places people have already started worrying about next winter, when the almost certain meagre harvest will be compounded by unavoidable meat shortages.

 Central asia tajikistan kazakhstan afghanistan uzbekistan kyrgyzstan locust invasion infestation drought harsh winter harvest livestock farmland grassland grazing land.