DUSHANBE, July 20, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan’s organizations dealing with combating locust infestations have worked irrationally in recent years, using old methods of combating locusts, while the stingy pays twice, Mikhail Sim, an engineer from Dushanbe, who had worked in the agricultural mechanization complex for many years, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, methods used in the country to combat locust infestations have become obsolete.  “According to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, 44 tractors, 634 manual pesticide sprayers and more than 800 people have bee involved in the campaign to combat locusts in the country,” said Sim, “Meanwhile, this obsolete and money-losing method has not yielded the required result.  Moreover, this technology results in overexpenditure of expensive pesticides.”

The expert considers that it would be more efficient to use agricultural aircraft to spray toxic chemicals and insecticides.  “I do not agree with some officials that claim that Tajikistan cannot afford to buy such machines,” said Sim, “They, for example, could purchase the Russian type light-engine aircraft for 200,000 U.S. dollars.”

He says the Russian type agricultural light-engine aircraft has good performance; it can be fueled with motor gasoline without fuel-servicing trucks.  “It can be deployed at small airfields,” said the expert, “Besides, Tajikistan could also use this aircraft to combat locusts on the territories of Afghnsitan ad Pakistan on the contractual basis.”