RS Agriculture Secretariat continues monitoring locust cloud

The cloud of locusts in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, 112 kilometers from Barra do Quaraí, on the border with Argentina, is being closely monitored by state agricultural inspectors from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr). The high temperatures that are expected to remain in Rio Grande do Sul at least until tomorrow (22) lead to greater locust mobility, as was observed in the cloud's displacement of around 30 kilometers this weekend alone.

'We are monitoring the border region with Argentina and are in direct contact with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) and the Argentine government to verify the size and speed of movement of the cloud. We have 11 inspectors involved in this task”, says Ricardo Felicetti, head of the Plant Health Defense Division at Seapdr. 

According to a note released by Mapa this Monday (20), “the forecast is that the insects will continue to move south, and that the winds will remain in a North-South direction, indicating a likely direction of the cloud towards Uruguay”.

According to the Secretary of Agriculture, Covatti Filho, at this moment, the Operational Plan of the Secretariat of Agriculture is in the surveillance and monitoring phase. But if the cloud enters Rio Grande do Sul, teams must act quickly to carry out phytosanitary control measures.

"If the cloud reaches the State, it is estimated that there will be great losses for producers and containment actions must be taken quickly to minimize the impacts", says Covatti.

The states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina have been in a state of phytosanitary emergency since June 25, as determined by Mapa. The measure is preventive and should last one year.

Producers can obtain more information by email:  vigifito@agricultura.rs.gov.br or by calling (51) 3288-6289.