Agricultural organization Jovenes Agricultores ASAJA Alicante argues that the indifference and inaction of the administrations in the struggle mushroom blowingThe bomb in the Marjal de Pego Natural Park, affecting rice cultivation, will cause a 65% drop in the production of this symbolic variety this year. In the province of Alicante and the Community of Valencia. It has also been detected in the Guadalquivir Marshes.
Pep Orihuel, a rice producer in the Marina Alta region, explains that the spread of this fungus, which thrives in the region-specific bomba rice, is due to two main reasons. On the one hand, uncontrolled growth of weeds, especially serreix“an intense effect that exceeds the size of the rice crop and does nothing but fuel the plant. blowingby increasing the expansion“.
In this sense, the agricultural organization demands that the necessary tools to control agriculture be presented to the sector. serreixsince farmers in the area have used only one licensed product for many years, and weeds adapted to it “like manure”. As if that weren’t enough, the use of labor to uproot these plants is not currently possible.
Unarmed to fight fungus
Orihuel, on the other hand, farmers do not have phytosanitary solutions to deal with this disease. “Only one product is allowed for air treatment, and in addition to representing 20% of production costs, the results are not what’s desired.” Likewise, he reminds us that the subsidies of the CAP are shrinking, which forces the Alicante rice sector to lower production, while in other countries products are used, which are not allowed in Spain and with a much higher workforce.
Vicen Dominguís, agricultural technician of Pego Natura, confirms on his behalf: “Limiting permitted phytosanitary products and biological materials is a major challenge for farmers. The rice crop in Marjal de Pego, as the Bomb variety is very susceptible to this disease, which is also aggravated by the climatic conditions favorable to the growth of the fungus”.
Experts agree that one possible alternative would be to choose other salinity-tolerant varieties in the region, although some farmers have tried without success.
Faced with the alarming decline in production, Marjal de Pego’s farmers are taking on the role of guardians of the re-emerging ecosystem by keeping the water circulating and providing food for the creatures that live there. However, they predict that In less than two years, the bomb rice planting will disappear at the same time as the Nature Park itself, unless leaders begin to propose solutions.
Spain is the second rice producer (Oryza sativa) The European Union has been surpassed only by Italy. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 2017, the cultivated area in our country exceeded 107.000 hectares. The crop is found in Andalusia, Extremadura, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Aragon, Navarra, Murcia, Castilla La Mancha and the Balearic Islands, but most of the area is concentrated in the first four communities.
Andalusia is Spain’s largest rice producer with 40,000 hectares of cultivated area.mostly (37,481 hectares) in Las Marismas del Guadalquivir (Seville) and La Janda (Cádiz) Benalup Casas Viejas, Medina Sidonia Vejer de la Frontera and Tarifa (2,569 hectares) and 29 hectares from Huelva in the state.
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