Locusts have hit east Africa hard

VAST SWARMS of locusts have swept through Kenya and Ethiopia since January, devastating fields, pastures and livelihoods. Governments have struggled to suppress them. They have continued to breed in their billions, threatening whole economies, which are also being battered by the covid-19 pandemic.Last month Fitch, a credit-rating agency, issued its first-ever warning that locusts could shake east Africa’s macroeconomic stability. In Ethiopia the voracious insects may drive up food prices, accelerating consumer inflation that is already running at about 20% a year. They may also cause Ethiopia’s fiscal deficit to widen.