DUSHANBE, April 10, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- A locust infestation has been detected in the Mastchoh district, Sughd province.

Hakim Shokirov, the head of the branch of state unitary enterprise, Fight against Locust, for Sughd, says they received this information from the Omar Khayam Farm in Mastchoh and their specialists are currently in the district to closely monitor the situation.

According to him, they have 735 liters of a 10-percent Phastrat (pesticide), which is enough to treat up to 3,000 hectares of farmland.  “In case of necessity, we will purchase additional pesticides,” Shokirov said.

We will recall that the first locust infestation was detected in the Jilikul district, Khatlon province in late March.  The locusts were revealed on an area of 1,000 hectares.  Locust infestations have reportedly been detected in the Vakhsh, Khuroson and Danghara districts as well.

Specialists attribute the infestation to a disruption of the insects'' usual seasonal migration pattern by the early onset of hot weather.