SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 15. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife has launched a new phytosanitary campaign to remove potatoes affected by the Guatemalan moth (Tecia solanivora), a pest that can cause field losses of more than 50 percent of the harvest, especially in the north and dry.
The island councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, explained that containers and buckets of eight and four cubic meters have been placed in the municipalities of La Orotava, Los Realejos, San Juan de la Rambla, La Matanza, Santa Úrsula, Tacoronte , El Rosario and San Miguel de Abona, in order to make it easier for farmers to remove the affected tubers.
Parrilla recalled that the Guatemalan moth “is one of the main problems faced by potato producers on the island,” so the main objective of this initiative “is to avoid inappropriate practices, such as the uncontrolled dumping of potatoes bichadas in ravines or other places, which would contribute to its expansion in nearby areas”.
The insular director of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Cayetano Silva, explained, for his part, that “more than 60,000 kilos of potatoes affected by the Guatemalan moth have already been removed, which is equivalent to a total of 15 containers.”
The containers are covered with a mesh to prevent the potato moth from spreading and, once complete, the waste will be transported to the Compleo Ambiental de Tenerife in Arico. People who deposit the affected tubers must do so in bags and cover the bucket with mesh after dumping.
The campaign, which has a budget of 100,256 euros, will run until mid-August, and its monitoring, control and management will be carried out by the company Tragsatec.
This assignment also includes the technical and administrative support of Tragsatec in three INTERREG MAC projects (2014-2020) that are already underway (Agrofem, Ahidagro and Fruttmac), especially in the diagnosis, control and training of pests and diseases of crops of Tenerife.
