Panic in Mbarali as quelea birds devastate rice fields
Farmer David Mkeya (right) displays a type of rice crop damaged by quelea birds during an operation by the Desert Locust Control Organization (DLCO). Standing next to him (wearing a hat) is the organization’s manager, Didas Moshi, during their visit to the Kapunga rice farm in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region. PHOTO | SADDAM SADICK
This year’s invasion has coincided with the critical grain-ripening stage, prompting desperate farmers to guard their farms overnight and hire labourers to drive the birds away.
