A swarm of desert locusts has descended upon and destroyed crops in Baliet country in Upper Nile State, according to locals.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, the head of the Farmers’ Union in the area, Mayiik Ayul Deng, said the locusts have destroyed over 250 acres of crops causing great losses to farmers.
“A huge swarm of locusts descended on our farms. They entered from the northern part of the country and ate everything,” said Deng. “People are helpless right now. They do not know what to do.”
He warned that the locusts could spread to other parts of the state and country and appealed to the national and state governments to intervene to control their spread.
Meanwhile, Panthon Deng Palek, a farmer, said the locusts have destroyed his garden.
He added that he had planted three times but the locusts destroyed everything and he has no seeds left to plant.