http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79229

QALA-I-NAW, 14 July 2008 (IRIN) - Hundreds of people in northwestern Afghanistan are annoyed with the authorities for allegedly failing to give them promised wheat aid in return for dead locusts.

After locusts swarmed into Badghis Province in early April damaging crops, people were told that for each kilogram of dead locusts they delivered to a specified government department they would receive 7kg of wheat.

According to provincial government officials, within 15 days of the launch of the programme - announced by the Afghanistan National Disasters Management Authority (ANDMA) - people had handed over thousands of kilos of dead locusts.

"We have issued receipts to the people indicating the amount of received locusts and the wheat aid to be given... We have received 9,680 kilograms of dead locusts," Abdullah Mishkawani, secretary of the provincial emergency response commission, told IRIN.

"We have to give these people about 67,760 kilograms of wheat for their contributions," he said.

Those who had captured and killed the locusts said they had had to work very hard and also been exposed to various diseases such as diarrhoea. Officials conceded that the anti-locust drive had helped eradicate the seasonal pest quickly and effectively.

Let down by aid agencies?

It is now two months since people began to bring in piles of dead locusts but no wheat aid has been delivered, locals and provincial officials said.