In the Shalkar district of the Aktobe region, there is an active spread of locusts — a video from residents of the Aishuak rural district shows swarms of insects circling over pastures, where only bare stalks remain after the grass has been destroyed.
According to the TV channel KTK, farmers are expressing concern and fear that if the locusts continue to spread, there will be nothing for livestock to feed on. They say the situation is out of control.
At the same time, experts are asking people to remain calm. According to the regional territorial inspectorate, since the start of the season more than 77,000 hectares have been treated with chemicals. However, work has been temporarily suspended due to the rain.
‘An An-2 aircraft is stationed in the Shalkar district, and everything is stocked with pesticides. As soon as the weather improves, treatment will resume. The phytosanitary situation is currently stable,’ said Arystan Zhakibayev, chief specialist of the regional inspectorate.
Previously, we reported that in the villages of Karakum and Abai in the Kyzylorda region, farmers faced a massive locust invasion. In the Turkestan region, the situation is compounded by drought and livestock deaths, yet local authorities refuse to acknowledge the scale of the problem.
We remind you that on 5 June, an Astana court found the founder of the FBRK and author of the Telegram channel ‘Kazakh Chuvash’, Kirill Pavlov, guilty of spreading false information about the locust invasion.
The case was opened after the Ministry of Agriculture complained about the agricultural expert’s publications regarding the pest situation and methods of combating them. Pavlov called the fine a ‘shot in the foot for the expert community’ and stated that it created a dangerous precedent for critical analysis of official statistics.
The expert continues to travel through the southern regions, documenting the true scale of the locust invasion.