Chapter 445 Locust plague and robbery by fire

After the wedding, Ernst had a lot of things to deal with. The construction progress of railways and factories was generally not a big problem. As for the reconstruction of canals and rivers, Constantine was responsible for supervising it.

"Your Highness, this is a telegram sent back from Northern Province. According to local government information, a locust plague broke out in the Vasangali Sultanate next door."

Ernst took the telegram and read it: "This is it! Let me see, um, desert locusts, old friends."

It is not an exaggeration to say that he is an old friend. Ernst had dealt with this kind of desert locust in his previous life. Of course, the most important thing was the over-exaggeration of the Internet, which made this kind of locust seem to have become an incurable disease. This made people at that time Ernst, who works in Tanzania, is speechless.

One of the lowest rumors is that in 2020: African desert locusts will cross the Red Sea, invade India, and may enter the Far East.

Regardless of whether desert locusts can adapt to the environment of the Far East, let’s just say that the origin of the locust plague was actually the Arabian Peninsula. However, the pictures and texts provided by the unscrupulous media were all about Kenya and Somalia, misleading people that the locust plague originated from Africa. The Red Sea reaches India.

That locust plague crossed the Red Sea, but jumped from the Arabian Peninsula to Somalia and Kenya. In fact, the Arab region should be blamed for this incident. The source of the locust plague was the Rub al-Khali Desert, which belongs to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and In Oman and Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as the tycoons of the Middle East, did not play their role at all. Catching up with the civil strife in Yemen at that time, they failed to spread pesticides in time, causing a second breeding of locusts, and eventually formed a once-in-a-century locust plague. On the contrary, Africa victim.

Somalia is already suffering from famine, especially when faced with a locust plague. The situation in Kenya is slightly better, but the harm caused by the locust plague to the two countries is far greater than that of the Arabian Peninsula. Families who are not already wealthy are even worse.

Just by hearing the name, you will know the activity areas of desert locusts. Desert locusts mainly inhabit desert and semi-desert areas. Expand the areas that may be threatened, that is, the intersection of deserts and grasslands. Of course, if a large-scale outbreak occurs, the area that can be affected will be wider, but it is only an impact and does not mean a disaster.

This range roughly covers the entire North Africa (Sahara Desert), the Red Sea coast, the Arabian Peninsula and the arid northwest area of ​​the South Asian subcontinent (currently India), and the Horn of East Africa.

Areas in East Africa that are likely to be invaded by desert locusts are Turkana Province (Ethiopian Plateau), Northern Province and Juba Province (Somalia), Oriental Province and South Prussia Province (Kenya), Uganda and South Sudan, and parts of Tanzania.

Some areas are very spiritual. Why are they some areas? They are the junction zone, or the intersection zone between semi-humid and semi-arid areas.

In other words, desert locusts are not adapted to the humid climate environment in the south, which is actually the case. However, even so, the area that may be affected in East Africa exceeds more than one million square kilometers (mainly deserts and semi-arid deserts, and arid grasslands), so Defensive measures must be taken.

"Inform the Ministry of Agriculture and ask the pest control centers in the northern region to take preventive measures to avoid the spread of the disaster and reduce the impact on our East Africa. In particular, the Eastern Province and South Prussia Province must take strict precautions and take advantage of their population to avoid major disasters."

As for desert locusts, East Africa is unable to solve them, at least for now, and can only try to avoid them.

In fact, Ernst did have a complete set of treatment plans, but they were of no use. The main reason was that the population of East Africa in the Somali region was too small.

The most effective way to deal with locusts is simply advanced scientific and technological means, which East Africa is powerless to do. The second is the human sea tactic, which involves mobilizing the masses and using various means to eliminate the locust plague.

However, the total population of East Africa in the Somali region is only over 300,000, and the desert area is hundreds of thousands square kilometers. The area where desert locusts live is the desert. It is impossible to let all our people go into the desert to destroy the locust spawning grounds. That is simply not possible. It's not realistic.

Finally, there is biological prevention and control. This method is not a solution at all. The difference between desert locusts and other locusts is that they move in the desert. Herding chickens and ducks are ineffective. Who raises chickens and ducks in the desert!

In the same way, it is difficult for other organisms to survive in the desert, so it is unrealistic to introduce other organisms to control locusts. Once desert locusts overflow, there are really no effective control methods except technological means.

Of course, East Africa does not do nothing. Somalia has a small population, but Kenya has a lot of them, especially in the southern region where the population is relatively concentrated. Moreover, southern Kenya is an important cotton and coffee producing area in East Africa, so it is still necessary to actively mobilize local forces to prevent locusts. Intrusive.

Monitor the locust invasion path and carry out manual intervention in locust spawning areas, such as soil plowing, fire, irrigation and other effective measures.

In fact, when locusts enter the East African Plateau, they will not be able to achieve much success. Geography and environment will block most locusts.

For example, desert locusts are extremely dependent on wind direction and generally fly with the wind. However, most of East Africa is controlled by the southeast trade wind, so if desert locusts want to enter the East African Plateau, they must go against the wind.

Not only that, as the terrain of the East African Plateau rises, the temperature also drops, and desert locusts like high temperatures, especially temperatures of more than 40 degrees, and reproduce the fastest. This is why desert locusts do not invade mid- and high-latitude areas (just such as Europe).

Therefore, after desert locusts break out in northern East Africa, most of them will move to the Arabian Peninsula and the South Asian subcontinent (India) along with the southwest monsoon.

The location of this locust outbreak is in northern Somalia. East Africa only needs to take preventive measures in Kenya, an important agricultural producing area. As for the Somali region in East Africa, it depends on destiny.

The possible consequences are nothing more than an increase in the price of Somali bananas imported from Europe. Just wait until the disaster has passed before planting again. Anyway, the climate is the same all year round, and there is water from the Shabelle and Juba rivers for irrigation, so replanting can be done at any time.

"Next, we will do a good job in food dispatch to ensure food security in Somalia, and let our people contact Zanzibar businessmen. If this locust plague expands to the Middle East, we must fill the vacancy as soon as possible and seize the food market."

If the Middle East is hit by a disaster, it will definitely be good news for East Africa. If every locust plague can achieve this effect, then Ernst hopes that this kind of "good thing" will happen every year, and it will not be a big deal if East Africa suffers some disasters.

Because Ernst had never vigorously developed agriculture in northern East Africa, 80% of the food in Somalia was transported from the Port of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.

Without excessive investment, there will naturally be no big losses. Although Somalia’s banana planting industry is very important to Somalia, it can also be grown in other areas of East Africa, so it is not irreplaceable.

The agricultural production areas in East Africa can currently be divided into three main areas. One is the East African plateau wheat growing area, the other is the coastal rice growing area, and the other is the Great Lakes area. The Great Lakes area is a multi-functional planting area where everything can be grown.

Next is Zambia, Zimbabwe, Turkana Province, then the Northern Pastures, the rubber growing areas of the Mitumba Mountains, and finally Somalia (Northern Province and Juba Province).

Basically, important grain producing areas and cash crop producing areas will not be affected by the locust plague. If it is placed in a country with a free economic system, it will definitely not be able to withstand this level of disaster.

However, the East African Kingdom is not a country with a free economic system. The losses suffered by the unilateral disaster-stricken areas are covered by the state, so farmers will not go bankrupt, and without bankruptcy, there will be no turmoil.

The same cannot be said for the Middle East. Once it suffers huge agricultural losses, colonies such as the Ottoman Empire and Egypt will have a headache.

Ernst even unkindly hopes that this locust plague will severely damage the wheat producing areas in northwest India (mainly in today's world), so that East Africa can occupy more grain markets.

Of course, just think about this idea. A once-in-a-century locust plague is not so easy to encounter.