Vice-Minister of Agriculture Liu Jian urged related agricultural departments across the nation to be ready to combat a coming locust plague in this summer.
The Ministry of Agriculture has held a national anti-locust work conference to make early and effective efforts to bring the insects under control.
Statistics show that about 860,000 hectares of land in China are still infested with locusts from last year's autumn migration.
In Tianjin Municipality and the provinces of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Shaanxi, the locust plague will be more severe than last year.
Early prevention and control is the key to eradicating locusts, especially East Asian migratory locusts, in the summer, said Liu.
Related departments must spare no effort to implement the anti-locust drive, he said, adding that crop-dusting aircraft and ground insecticide spraying should both be used in the anti-locust fight.
At the same time, agronomists should wage a biological warfare against locusts, he said. Biological technology will be favored over chemical pesticides in a bid to protect the environment, he noted.
Adoption of the insects' natural enemy species in farming fields is also needed, Liu added.
(Xinhua 05/16/2001)
