He said the ministry has already applied for a license from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) to deliver the planes to Tanzania. According to the minister, the government will not incur the cost of hiring the planes from the regional organizations because Tanzania was a member of the two organizations which comprises Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, to mention but a few. "Since we are members, they will not charge us the hiring cost. But some money will be required to pay pilots, buy fuel and other expenses during the exercise," said the minister.
Record desert locusts have hit parts of neighbouring Kenya, destroying tens of hundreds of farm crops. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says it is Kenya's worst desert locust invasion in 70 years. However, Kenyan authorities have deployed aircraft to spray and kill the locusts before they spread to neighbouring countries.
The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances. It has two to five generations per year. The last major desert locust upsurge in 2004-05 caused significant crop losses in West Africa and had a negative impact on food security in the region. The livelihood of at least one-tenth of the world's human population can be affected by this voracious insect, available reports indicate. -Full Report
UN warns of ‘major shock’ as Africa locust outbreak spreads
Food fears grow as swarms of locusts reach Uganda and Tanzania
"Swarms big as cities": UN chief says locust fight must intensify
Locust plague: Millions at risk of famine
