AN AID package to help control locusts was announced on the Isle of Wight today.

Secretary of State for International Development, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, came to the Island to announce a UK aid package to the tune of £18 million to help control millions of locusts attacking crops across East Africa, Yemen and South West Asia.

The reason for announcing it here, was because British company Micron Group, based at Bembridge Fort, supplies pesticide sprayers to locust-affected countries.

The impact of the upsurge of insects across Africa and Asia has been made worse by coronavirus, with vulnerable communities facing dwindling food supplies alongside the pandemic.

MP Bob Seely said: “It was great to welcome the Secretary of State to the Island and showcase what we have to offer the world.

“The swarms of locusts in Africa and Asia are decimating crops and threatening livelihoods and we have one of the world leaders in spray application technology here on the Island who can help.

“I’m delighted Ms Trevelyan took the time to visit the Isle of Wight and I’m grateful she is using a British company to assist with the crisis.”

Locust-affected countries are using Micron Group’s pesticide sprayers, as swarms of millions of insects cover areas up to 100 square miles and the sprayers are able to cover large areas with pesticide.

Speaking to the County Press during her visit, Ms Trevelyan said: “Micron is an incredibly important partner in supporting the international effort to control locust plagues. It's been wonderful to come and see what they do — proper, hardcore engineering.

"Here on the Isle of Wight you are making indestructible pieces of kit with really clever engineering in them which are saving millions of lives, that's just awesome.

"From the Island comes the (device) that will help communities in countries such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Pakistan and Kenya keep their crops, I think that's fantastic."

The new funding follows £8 million provided by the UK earlier this year to the FAO appeal, supporting Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Tanzania and Pakistan to destroy the pests.

A supercomputer funded by UK aid is also helping countries in East Africa to track the insects’ movements around the continent.

During the visit, the International Development Secretary saw how the pesticide sprayers are assembled at the Isle of Wight factory and took part in a demonstration on how they work in the field.

Anthony Outlaw, Micron Group operations manager, said: “Micron is proud to support the global fight against locusts through supplying cutting-edge equipment for the FAO.

"We have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic to meet this demand. The whole team understand the importance of tackling this outbreak and the impact on food security it has for millions of people.”