In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) and drone technology are rapidly reshaping the agricultural landscape, Pakistan faces the risk of quietly losing one of its most valuable assets in the fight for food security: the Aerial Wing of the Department of Plant Protection.

Once a symbol of innovation and national preparedness, this fleet of aircraft—designed for pest control especially desert locust and crop protection—is now languishing in neglect, its future uncertain.

The Aerial Wing has a proud legacy that dates back to the early 1950s when the government deployed Piper Cub aircraft to monitor and combat locust swarms in the desert regions. Over time, its role expanded. In the mid-1960s, the government added 20 De Havilland Beaver aircrafts to the fleet.

By the 1970s, additional Fletcher and Cessna aircrafts brought further capability and reach. These aircraft weren’t just used for agricultural pest control on paddy, cotton, sugarcane, apple and dates orchards, including desert locust—they were employed in forest regeneration through aerial seeding, hygienic spraying in urban areas, artificial rainmaking in coordination with the Meteorological Department and........

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