11 May 2023 --- The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned of a potential large-scale outbreak of the Moroccan Locust across eight provinces in North and Northeast Afghanistan, also dubbed the country’s wheat basket. A Moroccan Locust outbreak could result in crop losses ranging from 700,000 to 1.2 million metric tons of wheat this year alone, up to a quarter of the total annual harvest, estimates FAO. This damage translates to between US$280 million and US$480 million in economic loss – as of today’s prices in the country.
