Locust swarm devastates crops in Mon’s Longkei village

KOHIMA — A swarm of locusts descended upon Longkei village in Mon district last week, decimating nearly ripe jhum fields and raising concerns among farmers.

The incident came to light after a video of the infestation, showing locusts swarming a millet field, was circulated widely on social media.

In the video, distressed field owner, Yajeih Konyak, was heard saying that the locust/grasshoppers had landed on the Pu-nu (the name of the valley where the jhum field is located).

Yajeih, who hails from Longkei village, was heard lamenting the destruction of paddy, corn, and millet crops which were almost ready for harvest.

“All the locusts/grasshoppers are lying on top of the paddies, hanging on the top of all the crops. What do we do, and what type of medicine do we use to tackle this?” he queried.

Village representatives confirmed that the infestation started on July 22, completely destroying five fields.

Tingkai, president of Longkei village, told Eastern Mirror that it was an unprecedented event for the village. The incident was reported to the Agriculture Department, which provided the affected farmers with pesticides to combat the locust infestation.

However, the locusts briefly migrated to the neighbouring village of Pongkong before any action could be taken.

The insects have since returned to Longkei, Village Council Chairman, Menpho Konyak, said, adding that precautionary measures and instructions on chemical usage have been disseminated among the villagers who are preparing for pesticide application.

It was also informed that a team from the Department of Agriculture had visited the affected fields to monitor the situation and distributed the inputs (pesticides) to control the situation.

(By Omnyei M Konyak, an intern with Eastern Mirror)