Generally, only areas with high rainfall are threatened by the appearance of locusts.

The Tata province has certainly not recorded any rainfall for a few years and the drought is forcing farmers to nomadise in distant lands in search of pastures, and yet swarms of locusts have invaded it.

Reached by telephone, a resident of Tata confirmed to us that the inhabitants of the communes near the Oued Draâ, on the border with Algeria, reported that large swarms of locusts have invaded the Oued Draâ and its surroundings, known for their vegetation cover and as a refuge for farmers. This information has constantly worried the inhabitants of this oasis zone known for the abundance and quality of its dates. Having noticed that the swarms were in the process of gregariousness, the inhabitants of the oases immediately informed the services of the Ministry of Agriculture in the province. Which, until now, have reportedly taken no significant measures to come to their aid. The correspondent for the online newspaper, Sahara News in the Tata province, thus reports that one of the victims of the locust plague in the vicinity of Tata confirmed to him that he had informed the relevant services and presented data from reliable sources that contradict the official version relayed by the National Anti-Locust Centre. These services confirm having treated large areas in the Lalla Saâdana and Bourabiîne zones in the Oued Draâ. However, according to eyewitnesses, these areas do not exceed a few hectares.

Let us recall that the FAO had warned against the possibility of a desert locust invasion in Southern Morocco.