BEIJING: China is planning to dispatch a 100,000-strong army of ducks to help Pakistan combat a massive locust infestation, a local newspaper reported Thursday.
The legion of lotus-eating waterfowl will be sent from the eastern province of Zhejiang following the earlier dispatch of a team of Chinese experts to Pakistan to advise on a response to the infestation that is being called the worst in 20 years, the Ningbo Evening News said.
China deployed ducks, whose natural diet includes insects, to fight a similar infestation in its northwestern region of Xinjiang two decades ago, reportedly with considerable effectiveness. Their use is both much less expensive and environmentally damaging than the use of pesticides, the paper quoted Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Agricultural Technology researcher Lu Lizhi as saying.
Ducks are also more suited to the task than other poultry, such as chickens, Lu said.
“Ducks like to stay in a group, so they’re easier to manage than chickens,” he said. A duck is also capable of eating more than 200 locusts per day, compared to just 70 for a chicken, Lu said. “They have three-times the combat capability,” he added.
Calls to the provincial government press office seeking confirmation of the report rang unanswered Thursday and a number provided for the publicity department at the agricultural sciences institute was constantly engaged.
Pakistan was invaded by the locust swarm last year, which proceeded to lay waste to the country’s cotton crop and is now menacing the wheat harvest.
China to send ‘duck army’ to help Pakistan fight locusts
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China to send ‘duck army’ to help Pakistan fight locusts
- China deployed ducks, whose natural diet includes insects, to fight a similar infestation two decades ago
- Legion of lotus-eating waterfowl will be sent from the eastern province of Zhejiang
Pakistani, Libyan commanders discuss regional security, military cooperation
- The meeting follows reports that Pakistan struck a $4 billion defense deal to sell military equipment to Libyan National Army
- Both sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, with particular focus on security dynamics in respective regions
ISLAMABAD: Libyan National Army Commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar met with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi and discussed with him military cooperation and regional security, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
The meeting takes place after Munir’s visit to Libya in December that was followed by reports suggesting Pakistan had struck a $4 billion defense deal to sell military equipment, including JF-17 fighter jets and Super Mushak trainer aircraft, to the Libyan National Army that controls eastern Libya. There has been no official confirmation of the deal so far.
Haftar and Prime Minister Dr. Osama Saad Hammad, who governs eastern Libya, called on Field Marshal Munir at Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
“During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, with particular focus on security dynamics in respective regions and professional cooperation,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“The discussion underscored the importance of continued engagement and collaboration between the Armed Forces of Pakistan and Libya.”
Libya has been subject to a UN arms embargo since 2011, requiring approval from the UN for transfers of weapons and related material. It was not clear whether Pakistan or Libya had applied for any exemptions to the UN embargo.
During Monday’s meeting, Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Libya, reiterating his country’s support for peace, stability and institutional development in Libya, according to the ISPR.
“The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the longstanding friendly relations between Pakistan and Libya,” the Pakistani military said.
