(Yicai Global) Feb. 17 -- The desert locust outbreak that is now plaguing Pakistan and India after East Africa is unlikely to harm China due to climate conditions, according to a Chinese ministry.

It would be difficult for the pests to travel through the cold mountainous terrain of southwestern China as the species thrives in warm and humid climates, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday, citing an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

This year's increasing masses of the grasshopper species that can travel up to 150 kilometers per day have risked food security particularly in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya.

A small number of these insects could come to China during a monsoon season but the damage would be controllable as China has stepped up its pesticide capacity, the official added. The ministry is also helping the border regions of Yunnan and Tibet Autonomous Region to boost pest monitoring.

Editor: Emmi Laine