By Chandra Prakash Sharma/Tara Chapagain Dube, Pokhara, July 1: Swarms of locusts have reached many districts of the Gandaki Province including Mustang district, a place known as the district beyond the Himalaya.

As the size of the swarms visiting different places is small not much damage has been made in the crops.

Initially, the locusts were seen at Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Syangja district and Badigad Rural Municipality of Baglung district.

Binod Hamal, senior plant protection officer at the Gandaki Provincial Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, said that the locusts that flew in large numbers and rested on tree leaves had not so far caused much damage to the crops.

A small group of the locusts was seen in Kusma of Prabat on Monday evening, and this group has now reached Mustang flying over and along the bank of the Kaligandaki River.

The grasshopper like gluttonous insects have caused minor damage to paddy seedlings planted very recently in Myagdi and crops at Tarakhola area in Baglung district.

Ramu Kandel, a resident Kathekhola Rural Municipality of Baglung, said, "Our area is known for orange production. We all came out of homes to drive away locusts by making fire for smoke, striking tin plates for high sound so that they did not rest here, and we succeeded."

Although the green-eating insect is said to fly in a large group, it has been found in a small group in some districts.

Sagun Gurung, a farmer in Mustang, said that loucsts had entered Mustang in a small group, the insect was different from grasshopper that is found here and it was yet to be know about the extent of crops destruction of the insect.

Keeping in mind the possibility of damage the locusts could cause, the Provincial government has initiated to gather data from districts while the local levels have announced awards for those who capture the locust and bring them in their respective offices.

Plant protection expert Hamal predicted that the locusts would not cause much damage in the Province as it is guessed that the insects would return to low lands if rainfall stops and temperature grows up.

He said that the government was orienting the farmers on ways to chase the locusts away because if the swarm enters the river basin fields, it will cause great damage.