India delivers 20,000 litres of pesticides to Iran for containing desert locusts

New Delhi: India on Thursday provided Iran with a consignment of 20,000 litres of Malathion pesticide to help the country contain the problem of desert locusts.

Last year, India proposed to Pakistan and Iran for a coordinated approach in dealing with the alarming threat of fast-increasing desert locusts in the region.

The desert locusts are considered among the most devastating migratory pests which pose a serious threat to food security in several parts of the globe including in Africa.

”The second batch of 20,000 litres of Malathion 95 per cent ULV pesticide is being supplied by India to Iran under a government-to-government locust control programme,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

It said the consignment reached Chabahar port and was handed over to the authorities on Thursday.

”It would be recalled that India had approached Iran and Pakistan for a coordinated regional response to the threat to approaching swarms of desert locusts. It was in this context that Iran had requested the supply of pesticides. There was no response from Pakistan,” the MEA said in a statement.

India supplied the first tranche of 20,000 litres of Malathion to Iran in June last year.