United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said that a second wave of locusts is about to hit the Horn of Africa region.
FAO says that the worst hit countries are likely to be Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
Earlier this year, the first wave of the invasion hit the region. A lull followed before the locusts revisited the area after the recent rains.
Locusts mostly consume foods rich in carbohydrates such as grains, which explain their high presence in East Africa where grains are the staple foods.
According to FAO, the second invasion is likely to be 20 times worse than the first. Thus far, locusts have invaded Yemen and are now making their way to East Africa.
One of FAO’s senior locust forecasting officers, Keith Cressman, said, “The locusts are showing up at the worst possible time when farmers have just planted their crops.”
Cressman expects farmers to suffer huge losses at a time when their seedlings have just emerged at the beginning of the new rainy season.