Crops at risk as southern China battles worst locust infestation in decades
- Villagers in Yunnan province say the impact has been far worse than they feared
- Corn supplies are particularly vulnerable at a time when concerns about food security are already increasing
Farmers in southern China have spoken of the devastation caused by one of the worst locust infestations in decades, saying the impact was far worse than they could have imagined.
“On each corn plant there were 30 to 40 locusts and very soon the leaves were all gone,” Lin Yichen, a villager from Pacuo in Yunnan province, said. “The leaves on the bamboo trees in the mountains were also eaten up two to three days after the locusts arrived.
“When we walked by those trees, we could clearly hear the sounds of locusts eating the leaves, which was really scary, and some people said if nobody came to kill the insects, they might eat us up as well.”
According to a briefing issued by the Jiangcheng county government last month, the swarms of yellow-spined bamboo locusts crossed the border in late June and have since made their way northwards.
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'Hair stood up on the back of my neck’: locust swarm a terrifying memory for Chinese farmer
According to official figures, the areas affected by the locusts doubled over 20 days in July.