Islamabad, July 9 (PTI) Pakistan on Thursday said that strong regional and international cooperative mechanisms were vital to address serious threat posed by desert locusts to the food security of the country and the region.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, during a briefing organised for the diplomatic community by the National Locust Control Centre (NLCC) here, appreciated the role of China, the UK and Japan for joining hands with Pakistan in thwarting the desert locust threat.

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The gathering was informed that the “current outbreak is the worst in over 25 years and that the pest is migrating towards Pakistan from countries in the region as well as from the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea area,” the Foreign Office said.

Minister Imam, who led the briefing, acknowledged the important contribution of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in extending support to Pakistan.

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The National Plan of Action, which was devised in consultation with the provincial governments, was an illustration of the whole-of-government approach and was delivering substantive results, the minister added.

The briefing to members of the diplomatic community and international partners was part of the ongoing efforts, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, to mitigate the threat of desert locust since the declaration of National Emergency on January 31, 2020.

The briefing provided an opportunity to inform them of the multi-dimensional challenges posed by locusts amid simultaneous efforts to combat COVID-19 pandemic.

The participants were also informed of support and cooperation extended by Pakistan to the relevant regional countries under the FAO's Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South-West Asia (SWAC), the Foreign Office said.

“Pakistan has been sharing information and data on a weekly basis, on its locust control operations at the bordering areas with all members of SWAC (Iran, Afghanistan and India),” it said.

In the spirit of enhancing international cooperation, Pakistan has also reached out to 17 African countries (Algeria, Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Tunisia, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda) as well as several Middle Eastern States including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen and Oman, to enhance bilateral cooperation in defeating desert locust.

The event was attended by Ambassadors, High Commissioners and representatives from China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UK, the US, Canada, Oman, Kenya, Sudan, Yemen, Japan, Afghanistan, Australia, Italy, European Commission, Turkmenistan, Iran, the UAE, Somalia, Germany and France.

Heads of UN agencies and International Financial Institutions as well as members of the print and electronic media also attended.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)