Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Abbas Ali wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 9:31 am Department of Plant Protection de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (aircraft registration AP-ALR) being prepared to perform aerial spray flight against locusts in Sindh Province.

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Selfie time for locals with the aircraft.

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The fifty-nine year old AP-ALR was built in 1960.

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Some old photos of AP-ALR taken in Balochistan on March 29, 1961, can be viewed on following link:

https://www.dhc-2.com/cn1414.html

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Department of Plant Protection de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (aircraft registration AP-ALR) built in 1960 performing aerial spray flights against locusts photographed in Sindh Province.

This aircraft must have witnessed various types of PIA aircraft and development of Pakistan's civil aviation since 1960.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Government of Pakistan planning to lease aerial spray aircraft from UAE and China to fight locusts.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Sixty-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (aircraft registration AP-AMB) of Department of Plant Protection, Government of Pakistan, at Sheikh Zayed International Air Port - Rahim Yar Khan to perform aerial spray flights against locusts in Cholistan Desert.

This aircraft was built in 1959.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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According to news sources:

Currently three Department of Plant Protection aircraft of 1960s vintage available for aerial spray flights against desert locusts. One of these three aircraft is grounded for repairs.

Assistance to be sought from Pakistan Army to fight locusts in spring season.

Short term and long term plans to be prepared to fight locusts.
  • Under short-term plan, aircraft to be acquired on lease from friendly countries for aerial spray. China has been contacted and their response being awaited.
  • Under long term-plan, proposal for acquisition of up to eight aircraft for aerial spray flights to be submitted to the federal government.
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In the past, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Bristol Freighter aircraft also performed aerial spray flights against locusts.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Today, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar informed the National Assembly that after the recent attack of desert locusts over an area of 0.9 million hectares, action was taken against the pest over 0.3 million acres while an aerial spray was done on 20,000 hectares by Department of Plant Protection aircraft aerial spray flights.

The Department of Plant Protection had been ignored in the past and its fleet of aircraft has reduced to three from twenty aircraft, he said.

The minister informed the House that Rs7.3 billion would be spent in one-and-a-half-year to combat the locust attacks to save the agriculture sector from their devastating effects.

Locusts went from Cholistan and Thar deserts in Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and for the first time it were sighted in March last year.

According to the minister, the last attack of the locust in Pakistan was in 1993 and after that year, the Plant Protection Department of the federal ministry which dealt with the problem was neglected as its planes and vehicles are in disrepair.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan also took notice of the issue and called representatives of both federal and provincial governments, who presented an action plan to be implemented in one-and-a-half-year to curb the locust attacks.

He said the district administrations, voluntary organizations, Aviation Division and armed forces were put into operation to combat the attack and save crops.

He said this time around, the swarms of locusts had not only spread into areas of Punjab and Sindh but they went further afar in Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the committee of the National Assembly should help monitor and review the situation arising out of the locust attack and give feedback to the federal government.

“Due to persistent efforts of the government and an early release of Rs 500 million, the crops of rice and cotton were saved from the locust attack," he added.

The minister said the usual entry of the locusts from Pakistan to Iran and Oman was delayed for some days due to severe winter weather and climate change but eventually the insects would enter these countries.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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National emergency declared and national action plan prepared to fight and eradicate desert locusts by federal government today. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and provincial departments have been given responsibilities.

Decisions taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The meeting was informed that last month, the Department of Plant Protection had four aircraft for aerial spray flights against desert locusts. One of these aircraft crashed on January 12, 2020, in Sadiqabad. Now three aircraft are available for aerial spray flights.

Department of Plant Protection used to have a fleet of twenty aircraft for aerial spray flights.

The meeting decided to acquire aircraft on lease/rent for aerial spray flights.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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According to news sources:

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Talks held with Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) to discuss the possibility of modifying Super Mushshak aircraft for aerial spray flights against desert locusts.

Various aerial spray kits to be evaluated before finalization & installation for testing on Super Mushshak manufactured at PAC.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Agriculture Department - Government of Punjab message in February 18 newspaper for farmers with instructions for the eradication of desert locusts.

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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China to help fight locusts as major crops face danger.

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Cartoon in 'The Express Tribune' (February 20, 2020 edition)

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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Government seeks FAO help to fight locust threat in Punjab

Amin Ahmed

Updated February 26, 2020

ISLAMABAD:
The government has sought technical advice and guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) on international best practices and use of pesticides with safety standards, as Punjab is facing a locust attack.

Source: DAWN
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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Army of 100,000 Chinese Ducks Ready to Fight Locust Swarms

By Alfred Cang

February 26, 2020


Chinese duck platoons are waiting to be deployed to neighboring Pakistan to fight a swarm of crop-eating pests that threaten regional food security.

At least 100,000 ducks are expected to be sent to Pakistan as early as the second half of this year to combat a desert locust outbreak, according to Lu Lizhi, a senior researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The ducks are “biological weapons” and can be more effective than pesticide, said Lu, who’s in charge of the project that’s been organized by his academy in tandem with a university in Pakistan.

“One duck is able to eat more than 200 locusts a day,” Lu said in a telephone interview on Thursday, citing results of experiments to test the ducks’ searching and predation capabilities.

A trial will start in China’s western region of Xinjiang later this year before the ducks are sent to Pakistan, Lu said.

Source: bloomberg.com
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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Department of Plant Protection (Aerial Wing) de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver registration AP-AKA seen in Karachi in February 2020.











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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Govt to hire planes from China, UAE to fight locust

March 7, 2020

ISLAMABAD:
According to the Sindh government’s statement, Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to a proposal from Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Shah for hiring aircraft from China or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the aerial spray of the affected areas.

Source: tribune.com.pk
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Re: Department of Plant Protection Aircraft Perform Flights to Save Crops from Desert Locusts

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Today, China Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-412F (SCD) freighter (aircraft registration B-2428) arrived in Karachi as cargo flight CK5001 from Shanghai with insecticide and sprayers to control desert locusts in Pakistan.



The aircraft arrived in Karachi at 7:00 AM. It completed flight from Shanghai in seven hours & forty-seven minutes.

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Source: flightradar24.com

Later, it departed from Karachi at 10:03 AM as flight CK5002 to Shanghai complete in six hours & twenty-nine minutes.

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Source: flightradar24.com

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