It’s a plague of locusts reminiscent of what was discussed in the ancient texts, except that it’s in today’s time and affecting not the richest nation of earth (at the time), but the impoverished nation of Madagascar. The plague of locusts the country is experiencing is the worst it had in 60 years and threatens crops, creating worries of food shortages, according to a U.N. agency.

More than half the population could be at risk of hunger as the plant-devouring insects scour the countryside, the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization said.

An FAO locust control expert said that the plague posed a major threat to the Indian Ocean island, a country that is already struggling with severe poverty.

“Nearly 60 percent of the island’s more than 22 million people could be threatened by a significant worsening of hunger,” Annie Monard of the FAO told BBC.

“The last [locus plague] was in the 1950s and it had a duration of 17 years so if nothing is done it can last for five to 10 years, depending on the conditions,” she said.

The FAO said that more than $22 million in emergency funding was required to conduct a necessary full-scale spraying campaign.

“FAO estimates that about two-thirds of the island country will be affected by the locust plague by September 2013 if no action is taken,” the UN agency said in a statement.

Approximately 69 percent of people living in the island live below the national poverty line. In 2009, Madagascar’s GDP was estimated at $8.6 billion with a per capita GDP of $438.