What has happened in agriculture this year in the province of Alicante is something that has never been seen before. Practically no crop has in many ways managed to escape the harsh weather conditions that, according to experts, are the result of an increasingly pronounced climate change. But in almonds, the fold became curly despite the intervention of rains and frosts. And due to tree-feeding pests, production fell by around 60%, resulting in losses of 10 million euros. Xylella, wasp, and tiger beetle have had devastating effects this year, and to a lesser extent the Vall d’Ebo fire, which has swept through different plantations, must be added.
The Xylella thing has already come a long way. Since it was first detected in the province in 2017 and there is currently no effective treatment, crushing more than 2,000 hectares of crops with 140,000 almond trees means reduced production. 560 tons. While the Ministry of Agriculture emphasizes that the activities carried out are at the request of the European Union and that the radius of destruction has been reduced by half thanks to the pressure applied, those affected insist on requesting a containment plan that foresees only the European Union. destroying infected trees, not those around them.
However, this is not the only pest that affects almond trees. There are also wasps and tigers that have a brutal effect on the harvest this season. This highlights that “the high temperatures recorded have exacerbated the situation and put even the survival of the trees at risk with the drought” by Juan Pastor, a grower from the Vinalopó region.
A problem exacerbated by the sharp rise in the cost of phytosanitary products and the low price paid for almonds is one of these pests. Mariola Carreño, a technician at La Trencadora in Castalla, says, “The tiger is easy to fight, the wasp resists more, and you have to seize the right moment to perform the treatments. However, when costs become more expensive and prices are not affordable, farmers often choose not to take much care of their crops. We also have a problem with abandoned fields that become a haven for such pests.”
Precisely the fields in the Castalla region, as well as in neighboring municipalities such as Ibi, Tibi, Biar or Villena, experienced a frost in early spring that destroyed almost 80% of the harvest. Prolonged rains during the same period also brought their crops into full bloom in Marina Alta, l’Alcoià and El Comtat. To this, finally, we must add the fire recorded at Vall d’Ebo this summer.
Francisco Javier Molines, Asaja’s industry representative and mayor of Tárbena, regrets the long list of obstacles the industry has to face. “We have pests, weather problems and prices that don’t even serve to cover the costs. Everything is causing fewer and fewer people to want to devote themselves to agriculture and leave the fields,” he complains.
Similarly, Ricardo Beltrán, head of dry fruits at La Unió, expresses himself by emphasizing the problem of the low profitability of the crop. “The average price the producer received during this campaign is slightly lower than last year, which indicates a lot of speculation in the food chain,” he denounces.
It therefore seeks direct support of 125 euros per hectare to farmers in traditional agricultural areas, emphasizing that this will “serve the sector to return to the aid it already had in the previous CAP”. Similarly, Beltrán emphasizes that agricultural insurance policies should be tailored to the characteristics of the almond.