Now, China may send 'army' of ducks to Pakistan to combat locust menace

According to a Chinese newspaper, the country will be sending an "army" of 100,000 ducks to help Pakistan combat locust attacks.

China's Ningbo Evening News said the ducks would be dispatched from the eastern province of Zhejiang as Chinese experts arrive in Pakistan to advise the country on ways to tackle the locust menace.

Also Read: Now, Pakistan may seek China's help to fight locust attack

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The paper said employing ducks to work on locusts is not only environmentally friendly, it is also less expensive than using pesticides. The experiment was reportedly used with considerable success to fightthelocust attack in China's north-western Xinjiang region two decades ago.

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The newspaper quoted China's agricultural researcher who said ducks are more suited to take on the task than other poultry. The ducks can also reportedly eat at least 200 locusts a day, according to the Chinese researcher with greater "combat capability" than chickens.

There were reports earlier that Pakistan would be importing insecticides from India to fight the locust swam but authorities showed inclination towards buying to from China. Pakistan is facing the worst locust attack in over two decades.

According to reports, India and Pakistan authorities had met to review the situation with India too preparing to take on the locusts with drone monitoring system and specialist equipment.

After Kenya & Ethiopia, locusts enter Uganda

Desert locusts, large herbivores have reportedly arrived in Pakistan from Iran. Pakistan declared a national emergency over the locust swarms and has been preparing a battle plan to face the insectswhich have already damaged large amount of crops.

Pakistan authorities fear a large attack in June- July and have been preparing in advance.

Locusts attacks have ravaged crops across eastern Africa Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya Eritrea and Djibouti. It also entered Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan.