Regional Agriculture Ministers Gather in Mombasa to Address Threat of Migratory Pests and Desert Locust
Regional Agriculture Ministers Gather in Mombasa to Address Threat of Migratory Pests and
Desert Locust
From 2nd to 6th December, 2024, at Pride Inn Flamingo Hotel, Mombasa, Agriculture Ministers from nine Eastern African Region, namely the Republics of —Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea held the 69th session of the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) Council of Ministers Governing Meeting. The session was attended by Minister of Agriculture from Republic of Somalia - Hon Abdirizak Mohamed; Minister of Agriculture, republic of South Sudan- Hon Lily Akol; Minister of Agriculture, republic of Uganda - Hon Frank Tumbebzae; Minister of Agriculture, republic of Ethiopia - Dr Mekonen Yimer. The Representative to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in Kenya, Madam Pricilla Muiruri, in her opening remarks noted the need for enhancing the capacity of DLCO EA to facilitate the organization play the regional mandate. She noted migratory pests do not respect regional political boundaries and move freely without requiring a passport or VISA to pass through political borders.
Migratory pests pose constant threat to food security, and their management is a continuous war countries have to engage in. This calls for regional pooling of Resources including technical experts, equipment’s such as aircraft to enhance timely response to outbreaks and invasions. She called on the DLCO EA to support
member countries in the following areas:
A. Regional monitoring and surveillance especially for early detection of pests in natural breeding sites (game parks and conservancies spreading across political boundaries) for Deseret Locust, Tree Locusts, African Migratory Locusts, Quelea birds and African armyworm.
B. Timely acquisition and sharing of monitoring devices, traps and lures.
C. Timely regional sharing of information to raise alerts and high preparedness among neighbouring countries whenever any country is faced with a migratory pest outbreak.
D. Acquiring of modern equipment’s such as Drones and aircraft to facilitate efficient surveillance and control operations.
E. Enhancing national technical capacity in migratory pest’s management through regional trainings, workshops, webinars and conferences. In addition, there is need for sharing updated technical information materials among
member states.
F. Research and development focusing on new innovations of environmentally friendly Bio-pesticides products targeting Tree locusts, African migratory locusts, Desert locusts, Quelea birds among others.