Native locust swarms damage crops in Balakayati and Bradost regions

ERBIL — Swarms of red and brown locusts have overrun orchards and farmland across the Balakayati and Bradost regions of Erbil’s Soran autonomous administration, local farmers and officials said, describing extensive crop damage and fears of long-term agricultural disruption.

Though the insects are not migratory and are believed to originate from within the Kurdistan Region, farmers say their numbers have sharply increased in recent years, posing a growing threat. “The locusts are native and have not come from outside the region,” a farmer in Choman told 964media. “But they are causing a lot of damage, and the effects could last for up to six months. They settle into the land and only then move on and reappear again next year.”

In the village of Kani Zila, Razaq Ahmed said his land was already overrun before planting could begin. “The swarm has taken over our entire area and it’s not stopping,” he said. “Spraying the orchards is not effective because the pesticide we distribute is in small quantities.”

Ahmed, who was preparing to sow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants, said he is now hesitant to move forward. “I’m afraid to plant anything now because the locusts would devour everything the next day,” he said.

Soran agriculture director Kamaran Hesen Mamand said the authorities anticipated the outbreak and distributed pesticide, but were unable to halt the spread. “We made preparations before the swarm arrived and distributed pesticide to farmers, but we couldn’t completely stop the spread,” he told 964media.

He attributed the rise in the locust population to shifting climate conditions, including increased temperatures and recurring droughts.

In Choman, local agriculture director Dilshad Hesen Ibrahim said the locusts have now saturated the border areas. “They may remain for about six months and could return again the following year,” he said. “It’s very difficult to eradicate them. We’ve tried everything to stop them, but they can’t be easily eliminated.”

Farmers and officials said the red-brown locusts have been observed in the region since at least 1991 during spring months, but their numbers and longevity have grown significantly in the last five years, now persisting into early summer and compounding the strain on local agriculture.