Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent locust swarms in Africa and South Asia on food security in those regions.

We are deeply concerned about the locust outbreak in Africa and South Asia, and the devastating impact on food security in those regions. It is destroying crops, livelihoods, and essential food supplies, compounding the effects of existing humanitarian disasters and putting millions of people at risk of food insecurity.

To date the UK has provided £5 million to FAO’s regional appeal for surveillance, control and coordination activities. Additionally, DFID Sudan has provided £2 million bi-laterally and DFID Pakistan £1 million to FAO’s response in-country. The Department for International Development (DFID) has significant humanitarian and development programmes in the affected regions that are adapting to support vulnerable communities in response to the outbreak. The Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa, based in Nairobi, has also been using a DFID-funded super computer to predict movements of locusts and geographically target the response.

Our support is having an immediate impact. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to help further.