Locusts invasion in Uganda: residents turn locusts into food
The locusts invasion in eastern Africa has destroyed many crops and other things. The result of the invasion caused the scarcity of food on the affected region but the people in the Kitgum district of northern Uganda have chosen another method entirely. They are eating locusts that have devoured their crops.
Locals in Kitgum district in northern Uganda eat locusts that have devoured their crops, according to the Uganda Radio Network (URN) news agency. The agency reports that poor harvests in the region have forced locals to make locusts their alternative source of food.
But some are worried about possible health concerns as the Ugandan government has been spraying pesticides in locust infested areas in an attempt to stop the spread. Residents said they caught the insects, then boiled and dried them before finally frying them.
Photos shared by the local newspaper Observer show locals preparing locusts for cooking. “Kitgum residents turn invading locusts into food,” it sounds. “When they come, they are caught, boiled, dried, and fried before being served to children and even adults. We currently had limited food because of the poor harvest last year,” the newspaper continued.
Christine Abalo, a resident of Gogo village and mother of five, told URN that she had decided to catch the locusts to taste the delicacy because the elderly said them they were edible.
Beatrice Alanyo, another resident, said that she had captured two whole ponds of locusts and is awaiting a verdict from district officials to find out whether these locusts are fit for consumption due to the ongoing spraying.
Mr. John Bosco Komakech, a vector control officer in Kitgum district, told the news agency that the consumption of locusts is not harmful and that those caught by locals have not still been sprayed.
Desert Locusts devastated farmers in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Sudan in what has been described as the worst invasion in 25 years.
In Somalia, local media showed residents of the central city of Adado frying locusts and eating them with rice and pasta.
