China issues warning for desert locusts

BEIJING -- China's forestry and grassland authority on Monday urged efforts to prevent the spread of desert locusts as the destructive migratory pests may enter the country from Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Kazakhstan.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted that the desert locust plague, which originated in Africa, may last until June, with swarms growing to 500 times the current level, according to a statement on the website of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Desert locusts may enter Tibet from Pakistan and India, fly to Southwest China's Yunnan province from Myanmar, or invade Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from Kazakhstan, posing a major threat to food security and rural livelihoods, according to experts.

The administration urged local authorities to step up monitoring of the pests, issue early warnings and alerts in a timely manner, strengthen staff training, and devise and improve emergency response plans to combat the possible spread of locusts.