Roundup: Africa looks for solutions to quelea birds threating food security

Regional workshop sessions to identify a strategy to control quelea kicked off on Tuesday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

A total of 13 African countries participated in the workshop as well as the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Quelea, a red-billed small bird, is one of the most dangerous agricultural pests threatening food security in Africa, despite efforts exerted by the continent's countries to get rid of the risk of birds in general.

Scientists estimate the number of quelea, originating from Africa, at around 100 million, with an average daily grain consumption of 10 grams per one, thus a flock of two million quelea birds can devour 20 tons of grain in one day.

"Representatives from a number of African countries and FAO experts are participating in this important conference, due to the danger posed by the quelea bird on food security in Africa," said Sudan's Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Al-Dekheiri during the workshop's opening session.

"Flocks of quelea birds attack and destroy millions of hectares of agricultural farms and fields annually, leading to substantial grain deficiency in the African continent," he noted.

He added that Sudan loses millions of U.S. dollars on plans placed by the Plant Protection Directorate, an affiliate of Sudan's Ministry of Agriculture, to face pest birds, namely quelea birds.

He brought up international agreements, including the Rotterdam Convention, concerning finding safer alternatives to spray fenthion, a chemical pesticide, where quelea birds breed or live.

The FAO estimates the agricultural loss resulting from quelea birds at over 50 million dollars annually.

Elwathig Osman Mukhtar, Assistant FAO Resident Representative in Sudan, said the workshop endeavors to empower the African continent to overcome the risk of pest birds, particularly quelea birds.

"These birds are a great threat to Africa's food security, one of the main causes of famine, therefore, we must unite our efforts and find applicable solutions in the face of this risk," he told reporters.

He further noted that regional countries tend to have a road-map in order to find alternatives and develop pilot projects to completely eliminate quelea birds through safer alternatives for both humans and the environment.

Quelea birds are found in several African countries all the way from South Africa to North Africa such as Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania as well as the African coast.

Sudan has been suffering from quelea bird flock attacks against agriculture, particularly in the Gezira State in central Sudan and the Northern State in Northern Sudan, which constitute major agricultural areas for grain cultivation, namely maize and wheat.

Dr. Fawziya Abbas, Deputy General Director of the Plant Protection Directorate in Sudan said Sudan is one of the most affected African countries by quelea birds.

"Thousands of farms are affected by quelea birds' flock attacks, and local measures have failed to decrease the catastrophe. We look forward to finding scientific alternatives in this conference," she told reporters on Tuesday. Enditem