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Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Locust-eating binge to hamper control efforts
WITH residents indulging themselves on locust delicacies and making business out of them, agriculture officials in South Cotabato are worried the "booming" trade could hamper efforts to contain the farm pests.
South Cotabato provincial agriculture chief Reynaldo Legaste said tons of locusts are being unloaded at the roadside stalls in Barangay Silway in Polomolok town, which is now considered as the main "trading post" for the exotic delicacy.
He said a 50-kilo sack of locusts now reportedly sells at P3,000.
Some of these eventually land in local public markets.
A kilo of "ready-to-eat" fried locusts sells between P20 to P30 per kilo.
"This clearly indicates that the infestation has worsened over the past weeks. We've been trying to locate the infested areas but our farmers are no longer cooperating with us to protect their business," he said.
The locusts, the breeding ground of which was earlier traced to the grassy fields near the airport complex here appeared anew this year after more than seven years of absence.
He said the locusts, which are highly productive and migratory in nature, eventually spread to farmlands in neighboring Polomolok.
Legaste urged local farmers to report the areas infested by locusts so they could immediately take the necessary intervention.
"We should not wait until their number reaches the critical level as it would mean greater damage," he said, adding that swarms of locusts could easily wipe out an large areas of corn lands overnight.
Meantime, Legaste cautioned anew residents to refrain from buying fried locusts due to possible contamination of pesticides.
He said some farmers here have started to spray insecticides to stop the spread of locust infestation.
A number of residents were downed several weeks ago after reportedly consuming fried locusts bought from the roadside stalls in Polomolok. (Allen V. Estabillo)
(December 12, 2005 issue)
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