A meeting to discuss cooperation mechanism to control desert locusts.

A meeting held today to discussed the mechanism of cooperation to combat the desert locust that threatens agriculture and sources of food security.

The meeting, in the presence of Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdulmohsen Tawoos, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Radwan Al-Rubai, and Program Director of FAO organization in Yemen ,Andrea Berlova, reviewed the document of the Desert Locust Response Project in Yemen.

The meeting, in the presence of head of the International Cooperation Department of SCMCHA, Mana’a Al-Asal, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture for the Agricultural Services Sector, Daifallah Shamlan, discussed the most prominent observations on the document, its absorption and implementation according to a mechanism represented in identifying the activities and programs to be supported and funded, especially locust control activities.

Tawoos indicated the importance of implementing the project to serve locust control programs and activities as well as to contribute of protecting agricultural lands from this pest that destroys crops and green plants and causes economic losses in productivity and livestock pastures.

In turn,the FAO Director of Programs expressed readiness to absorb the comments submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture to serve the components of the project, which include survey and control measures, protection and rehabilitation of livelihoods, coordination and preparedness for early warning.

The meeting was attended by Director of Plant Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture Hilal Al-Jashari, FAO Assistant Representative for Program Affairs, Mohamed Salam, and FAO agricultural expert Ashraf Al-Hawamdeh.