BBC News Online: World: Asia-Pacific

China plagued by locusts

Huge swarms of locusts have been destroying crops in northern China - a region which is already suffering from its worst drought in more than a decade.

Two areas have been struck by the locust plague at once.

In north-central China, at least six provinces have been hit by massive infestations, and in the far north-western province of Xinjiang, another huge swarm of insects is rapidly chewing its way through the summer crop.

In the worst affected areas of Xinjiang, local farmers are reporting infestation levels of 4,000 locusts per square metre.

According to one local paper, this is the biggest outbreak of locusts in a quarter of a century.

Two years of extremely dry weather, which is already wreaking havoc on northern China's farm land, is also being blamed for this latest problem.

Cash-strapped

Locusts apparently thrive during droughts.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Kazakhstan is being blamed for the problem in far west Xinjiang.

The central Asian republic was hit by its own plague of locusts last year.

Strapped for cash, Kazakhstan was unable to pay for the aerial spraying needed to destroy the insects.

The Chinese claim that eggs laid there last year have now hatched, and the insects moved into China.