By Eritrea Profile,
The Ministries of Agriculture of Eritrea and Saudi Arabia concluded an agreement on August 30th regarding assistance of anti-desert locust pesticides.
The signing ceremony was held at the head office of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The agreement includes the provision of 20 thousand liters of anti-locust pesticides as part of the precaution measures to be taken in case of the prevalence of the desert locust in the region due to the abundant rainy season.
Minister Arefaine Berhe said that the assistance attests to the existing good relations and cooperation between Eritrea and Saudi Arabia.
Likewise, Mr. Saleh Mohammed Al-Ruhaily, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Eritrea, stated that the assistance is aimed at strengthening the Eritrean government’s efforts to ensure food security.
The accord was signed by Mr. Hiruy Asgedom, Director General of Agricultural Inspection Department, and Mr. Saleh Mohammed Al-Ruhaily, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Eritrea.
Eritrea is member of the Commission for the Control of the Desert Locust comprising 16 countries from East Africa and the Middle East. The Commission is at present chaired by Saudi Arabia for a two-year term.
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The countries continuously affected by the desert locust are Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Republic of Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and other countries in the region.
The Commission for Control of the Desert Locust is at present preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The headquarters of the Commission is in Cairo, Egypt.
