Tehran, Iran, May 15

Trend:

Iranian Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati has requested to provide $7.1 million worth of credit to fight the desert locusts.

"Desert locusts from neighbor countries attack vast areas in southern provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Fars, Bushehr, Khuzestan, South Khorasan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Kerman, thus threatening the food security and environmental sustainability of the country," Hojjati in a letter to Interior Minister, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Hojjati requested for cooperation from governors of the provinces to provide human resources, machinery and other facilities by September 22.

The desert locusts attacks in Iran have recently increased, the agricultural lands and natural resources of eight provinces are being challenged.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently reported that during the past few weeks, the desert locust situation intensified in the traditional spring breeding areas of Iran and Saudi Arabia.