India deploys chopper, drones to stop fast-spreading locusts
India has deployed a helicopter and a dozen drones spraying insecticide to stop desert locusts that have spread to nine heartland states of the world's second-biggest producer of rice and wheat. The move came after swarms invaded Gurugram, a satellite city of the capital New Delhi, during the weekend, prompting people to criticise authorities for not quickly containing the outbreak. The government has also placed an order for five new helicopter-mounted spray systems from Britain to install in Indian Air Force helicopters, Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. The locust infestation has not caused significant damage so far because it has fallen in the lean season - the gap between the previous harvest and the next planting season. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned of a new wave of locusts coming across the Indian Ocean from Somalia just as farmers are planting an array of summer crops.
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