Desert locusts found in Tunisia’s Tataouine

Locusts from Libya are currently making their way over to Tunisia, as Libya’s current rainy season drives them out of the country.

According to The North Africa Post on March 17th, Tunisia’s agriculture ministry said desert locusts have been found south in the region of Tataouine, attracted by the regions fair weather conditions.

Desert locusts eat massive amounts of crops and vegetation. A small swarm of locusts are able to eat the same amount of food in a day as 35,000 people.

This leads to large potential losses in important staple crops, affecting food supplies across the country.

Currently the situation is controlled, as the ministry prepares for the worst-case scenario that the invasion might affect Tunisia’s grain yields this year.

Severe drought has been impacting crop yields and livestock numbers in North African countries such as Tunisia and Morocco for the past 6 consecutive years.

Technical teams are carrying out surveillance operations and enhancing cooperation with neighbouring countries and international organizations in order to stop the spread of the insects, as well as to protect vegetation from them.

North Africa Post, Maghrebi, The Libya Observer