DRAMATIC LOCUST SITUATION IN WEST AFRICA -- DONOR RESPONSE POSITIVE

Dramatic locust situation in West Africa -- donor response positive

Around $37 Million Committed or in Pipeline -- More Funds Urgently Needed

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 26 August (FAO) -- The international community has responded positively to an appeal launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assist countries in West and North-West Africa in their fight against desert locusts, the FAO said today.

The United Nations agency warned, however, that the locust situation in the countries affected remains dramatic and that more international support is urgently needed.

So far, a total of $32 million from the international community has been approved or is in the pipeline.  Some of the funds have been provided bilaterally direct to the countries, but the great majority has been routed through the FAO.

An additional $5 million have been provided from the FAO's own resources.

Affected countries have mobilized their own resources for national locust control campaigns.  Maghreb countries, namely Morocco and Algeria, are sending survey and control teams as well as vehicles and sprayers to Mauritania, Mali and Niger to bolster their control efforts.

Lack of Funds

But many African countries do not have sufficient funds to finance national control campaigns fully and avoid crop losses, the FAO said.

Aircraft, pesticides, vehicles, sprayers, monitoring capacity and technical support are lacking in all affected countries.

"Additional donor support is urgently needed for targeted aerial and ground spraying and for environmental monitoring", the United Nations agency said.

The worst affected country is currently Mauritania, with large areas of locust infestations requiring control.  The situation is also deteriorating in Mali and Niger.  Locust swarms have also been reported in Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad and Senegal.

There are unconfirmed reports from north-western Nigeria, and there is a moderate risk that swarms will also reach Darfur, Sudan, though none have so far.

Crops at Risk

The FAO warned that the locust situation could further deteriorate in the next few weeks with new swarms starting to form in September, seriously threatening crops that will be ready for harvest in the affected countries.

"The main effort should be now to protect as much as possible of the next harvest, which is crucial for the food security situation of millions of people in the region", the FAO said.

The FAO estimated that up to around $100 million are needed to control the current locust upsurge and stop it from developing into a full-scale plague.

The main donors supporting the locust control campaign are the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Canada, the Common Development Fund (FCD), the European Community, France, the Islamic Development Bank, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Taiwan Province of China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In the pipeline is assistance from the African Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the European Community, Germany, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Italy, and Japan.

Broadcast video material (Betacam) on the locust crisis filmed in Mauritania this week is available for broadcasters upon request.

For further information, please contact Erwin Northoff, Information Officer, FAO, e-mail:  erwin.northoff@fao.org, tel.:  +39 06 5705 3105; or Enrique Yeves (for video footage), Chief, Multimedia, FAO, e-mail:  enrique.yeves@fao.org, tel.:  +39 06 5705 2518.

For radio interviews, please contact Liliane Kambirigi, Radio Information Officer, FAO, e-mail:  liliane.kambirigi@fao.org, tel.:  +39 06 570 53223

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