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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lizzy Davies

Locust outbreak in Afghanistan’s ‘breadbasket’ threatens wheat harvest

Moroccan locusts mating.
Moroccan locusts mating. A full locust outbreak in Afghanistan could result in losses of between 700,000 and 1.2m tonnes of wheat. Photograph: Hashim Azizi/FAO

The northern “breadbasket” of Afghanistan is battling a potentially devastating outbreak of locusts that threaten to eat their way through up to a quarter of the country’s annual wheat harvest, the UN has warned.

After three years of disappointing, drought-afflicted harvests, Afghan farmers were expecting better this year – a much-needed boost for a country where nearly 20 million people are thought to be at the highest risk of famine in 25 years.

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