Brazil keeps close eye on locust cloud nearing its border

The National Service for Health and Agrifood Quality in Argentina (Senasa) alerted the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) about a cloud of locusts that is close to the border with Brazil. According to the climate monitoring that has been carried out by Argentine specialists, the plague should continue towards Uruguay.  Even so, considering the proximity with Brazil, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a warning to the Federal Superintendencies of Agriculture, so that the state agricultural defense agencies can take appropriate measures to monitor and guide farmers in the region, especially in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with regard to any eventual need for pest control measures if the cloud invades Brazilian territory.

This pest has been present in Brazil since the 19th century and caused great losses to rice crops in the southern region of the country in the 1930s and 1940s. Since then, it has remained in its “isolated” phase that does not cause damage to crops, as it does not form the so-called “locust clouds”. It recently caused damage to agriculture in South America, in its gregarious phase (cloud formation).

The factors that led to the resurgence of this pest in its most aggressive phase in the region are still being evaluated by experts and may be related to a combination of climatic factors, such as temperature, rainfall, and wind dynamics.

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