La Cáscara, Nuevo León — The Ministry of Agriculture has released an informative announcement about an outbreak of locust in the fields of Nuevo León. The agency said immediate action will be carried out to protect the industrial, fruit and vegetable crops.
The locust were located earlier this week in the community of La Cáscara in the state of Nuevo León.
“The Ministry of Agriculture requested the support of one of the most recognized locust specialists in the world, Mario Poot Pech, who will support the action protocol and will meet with the phytosanitary managers of the Huasteca region to train technicians, verify progress and guide the strategy to control the outbreak,” they said in a statement.
The agency also pointed out that the northeastern region of Mexico, specifically in Huasteca of Veracruz, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, there are 1.8 million hectares considered “optimal reproduction” grounds for the insect due to its climate and geographic conditions.
The National Secretariat for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality has said they too, have begun strategies to determine the best course of action against the plague, explaining that in a single day, locusts can devour 100 tons of green food, which would have an impact on 400 different types of local produce crops.
The National Secretariat for Agrifood Health also said that this is the first time the locusts have been seen in that particular area.
“The locust detected in Nuevo León could have originated from displacement due to the winds towards the northwest of the country between December 2021 and January 2022, which propelled the flying insects towards the foothills of the mountainous area,” they said.
The locusts are seasonal and commonly found in 10 of Mexico’s states which include Campeche, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Quintana Roo and Yucatán.
