According to the information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture of Kalmykia, in 2024, phytosanitary monitoring was conducted to detect locust pests on the territory of the republic. The total area of agricultural land subjected to monitoring was 1065.75 thousand hectares, with infestation recorded on an area of 63.58 thousand hectares.
As a result of the control measures, an area of 45.55 thousand hectares was cleared of pests. To achieve the set goals, 144 units of special equipment were used, including 3 aircraft of agricultural aviation.
Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture of the republic was allocated 10 million rubles from the Government's reserve fund of the Republic of Kalmykia for the elimination of outbreaks of particularly dangerous pests of agricultural crops, exceeding the indicators of 2023 by more than 10%. An increase in the volume of preventive and control measures is planned for the next year.
Tamara Dentelinova, Deputy Head of the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosselkhoztsentr" in the Republic of Kalmykia, reported that among the three species of locusts inhabiting Kalmykia - Asian, Moroccan, and Italian, the latter is the most dangerous. Last year, it covered almost the entire territory of the republic, and its expansion is expected to continue on the same scale this year.
In order to prepare for preventing a locust attack, drills were held in October 2024 in Kalmykia for the first time, organized at the branch of "Rosselkhoztsentr". The main focus was on coordinating actions between various authorities in combating pests. The event was attended by specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kalmykia, district departments of agriculture, and agricultural producers.
