Xylella has devastating consequences for almond cultivation in the province of Alicante. As a result of the destruction of 2,802 hectares with 200,200 trees, 800 tons of production has already been lost. to fight the plague. An eradication policy promoted by the European Union (EU) which has resulted in economic losses of more than three million Euros for the sector. The bacteria takes the last straw for the fields that have been reduced by half in the last 20 years due to the decrease in their profitability. Actually, Vinalopó and Vega Baja regions become the last bastion for this dried fruit.
Xylella fastidiosa, one of the most dangerous phytopathogenic bacteria for agriculture, feeding on almond trees in the province, was detected in this region in June 2017. Since then, despite all the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, following EU instructions, implements a destruction plan that includes the destruction of trees within a 50-metre radius as well as affected trees..
While it is true that the rate of spread has slowed, the latest update shows once again that the plague continues to spread. For this reason, directly infected area increases by 6.4% to 3,220 hectareslimited, that is, acting as a preventive buffer, grew by 4.1% to 145,141.
Samples made in the same way revealed the presence of the bacterium for the first time in Benidorm and Benifallim. There are currently 66 municipalities affected., 65 of them in the province of Alicante and one in Valencia. In Alicante, the towns are located in the districts of Marina Alta, Marina Baixa, l’Alcoià, El Comtat and l’Alacantí, to which we must add Safor in the Valencia region.
As part of the eradication policy, 2,802 hectares of 200,200 almond trees were crushed, or 32,800 more than the last data update. And this is exactly what has a direct impact on production, because around 800 tons of almond kernels have been reduced. It represents almost 25% of the total harvest in the state of Alicante.. At the economic level, this reduction means around three million euros less revenue, given the current low prices.
In this way, Xilella is giving impetus to a crop that has recently been declining due to its low profitability, leading to many parcels being abandoned. For this reason, In just 20 years, production in the province increased from 32,400 hectares to only 15,800 hectares.. As a result, the harvest has also halved and now stands at around 3,200 tonnes.
After the devastation caused by xylella in the north of the state, at this time the Alto, Medio and Baix Vinalopó districts and Vega Baja, beyond the still protected fields, became an almost spiritual reserve of this crop. the affected area and who managed to escape the action of the plague.
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In this sense, Francisco Javier Molines, the representative and chairman of the affected platform Asaja, insisted on the group’s claim. Modify existing destruction plan for containment, this involves removing only the directly infected trees, not the trees around them. “The solution – it can’t be to rip everything out, because all they’ll achieve is the disappearance of agriculture in rural areas and the mountains becoming a powder keg.”
Molines said that the problem is not only the destruction of trees, but also Species allowed for replanting are not profitable. In his words, “They say let’s plant olives or carob from the species that suit these places, but their profitability is very low. Ideally, it would be to bet on plague-resistant almond tree varieties». In addition, a spokesperson for the affected said, “it should be taken into account that most of the owners are older, between 60 and 70 years old, and will not plant now and start from scratch as they have to wait a long time to make the trees productive.
For the time being, those affected are unaware of the new Ministry of Agriculture’s intentions. “Among other things – Molines complains – because it costs them so much to make appointments. They said they were in favor of containment at the time, but let’s see,” Molines said.
They are also very critical of the delay in assigning new positions at La Unió, something they find completely unusual at this point. In any case, Julián Úbeda, head of the state’s industry, reminds us that this organization has always been in favor of the execution plan. As he explains, “We can’t risk being like in Italy, where xylella spread and destroyed all crops.».
Almond harvest in Alicante province will decrease by 21% compared to the average of the last three years due to drought. In a campaign where prices are also at low levels, the estimations show that grain production will be around 2,500 tons.
Julián Úbeda, representative of the almond industry for La Unió, explains that the lack of rain is already noticeable during the blooming season, when “the trees shed most of their flowers to survive”.
However, the situation continued after the event, affecting the majority of dry lands. “He points out that irrigation will be saved, but for the rest the production will be very limited and with very little almonds, because he has hardly gained any weight.”
As if all this weren’t enough, the price of an almond kernel hit the bottom with 3.5 euros per kilo, the lowest price of the last ten years. The explanation must be found in the increase in production in Spain as a whole, at about 50%, but above all in the increase in the United States. According to Úbeda, “there they chain one super harvest after another, and that’s reflected in prices, there’s no way they’re going up.”
The situation in the industry is therefore more than delicate, which is why La Unió has long requested from the Ministry of Agriculture a plan for the regeneration of almond trees that allows for the correction of serious defects that currently exist, and for the rejuvenation of trees, their transition to irrigation or a new, more commercial and efficient effective in the adaptation of cultivars. At the same time, as in other sectors, they demand assistance for the great economic losses experienced in recent years.
In fact, while drought triggered losses in the current campaign, the opposite has happened in previous campaigns, with frosts and heavy rains causing fungal problems.