¡¡RABAT, Oct. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The Moroccan government will strengthen coordination and cooperation with local authorities in fighting against a possible desert locust infestation later this year, Interior Minister al-Mostapha Sahel said Tuesday.

    At a joint news conference with Agriculture Minister Mohand Laenser, Sahel said the government has bought 4.2 million liters of pesticides and will mobilize hundreds of aircraft and vehicles to fight the crop destroying insects, which are feared to surface in northeastern and northwestern Morocco. Swarms have been stretching from the Sahara desert since late September.

    He called on the people in all walks of life to participate in the campaign as the measures taken by the government alone are inadequate.

    Also at the meeting, Laenser expressed his appreciation to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and some countries for their financial and material support in the fight against locusts.

    But he urged the international community to increase aid to help Morocco fight the rampant insects, saying his country needs about 45 million US dollars for the campaign.

    Locusts are present every year in Africa, but this year's swarms are especially large because of prolonged periods of heavy rainfall.

    In recent weeks, the insects have begun moving northward, out of West Africa's semi-desert Sahel region and into the Maghreb region of North Africa, which includes Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, in search of fresh crop to eat.

    The insects eat their weight in crops daily, and group together in swarms dozens of kilometers long. A swarm of 50 million locustsis capable of destroying 100 tons of crops a day. Enditem