<span style="color: #222222;">India has taken initiative for developing regional cooperation in controlling Desert Locust. This year, in addition to the COVID pandemic, a new challenge is facing the people of the South Asia and South West Asia region is that of Desert Locust.<br />''<br />''Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said, in Iran, hopper bands of the Locust are maturing along the southwestern coastal plains and another generation of breeding is underway in the southeast where hatching is taking place on the coast and in the interior of Sistan-Baluchistan. In Pakistan, adult groups are migrating to the India border from breeding areas in Baluchistan where hopper groups are present. FAO reports indicated that the Desert Locust population is expected to move from spring breeding of Balochistan to summer breeding along India-Pakistan border. In India, more adult groups and small swarms have arrived from Pakistan in the past weeks and moved east into Rajasthan, reaching Jodhpur.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent quoting officials reports that Agriculture Ministry is leading the efforts in locust control in India. It also spearheads initiatives to foster regional cooperation.<br />''       <br />''Six border meetings between the Locust officers led by Plant Protection Advisers of India and Pakistan are held every year (June to November) either at Munabao in Indian side and at Khokhropar in Pakistan side for exchanging information on locust situation of both the countries. Wireless communication between India and Pakistan is also maintained every year during June to November for exchange of locust information between the two countries.<br />'' <br />''There is consensus that the Desert Locust could pose a grave challenge in 2020. In March, the Minister of State in Agriculture Ministry Kailash Choudhary participated in a South West Asian Region virtual meeting coordinated by FAO to discuss regional cooperation to combat desert locust problem.<br />''<br />''To further regional cooperation, India has proposed coordinated response to Desert Locust control to Iran and Pakistan. India has suggested to Pakistan that both countries coordinate locust control operation along the border and that India can facilitate supply of pesticide Malathion to Pakistan. The  institutionalized mechanism of Locust Warning Organization could be energized for such cooperation. India has also offered to supply pesticide to Iran to carry out Desert Locust control operations in its Sistan-Balochistan and South Khorasan provinces. These efforts will contribute to mitigate the effect of the Desert Locust not only in these countries, but also for India. Official sources said, Iran has already responded positively to the Indian offer. </span><br />