SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Aug 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands (Asaga Canarias Asaja) has indicated this Wednesday that the fire that is affecting the island of La Palma has left, at least, six burned farms, two of them under greenhouse, and where the cultivation of the banana has been “practically destroyed by fire”.
Precisely, he has pointed out that the agricultural areas of the island of La Palma seem to have been the most affected in the archipelago due to the high temperatures that have been registered in recent days, with values above 40ºC, in addition to the strong wind which has hit crops such as avocado, vineyards and bananas where, they point out, “large losses in production are expected.”
In any case, as Asaga has stated in a press release, it is waiting for the technicians to carry out field damage assessments these days in order to “more accurately quantify” the degree of damage to the farms.
In the case of the south and southwest of La Palma, he points out that it has been the “most damaging” area, since there have been deflections (breaks), defoliation (falling of the leaves) of banana trees at the time of appearance of the pineapple and, as a consequence, “burn and quality losses of around 40 percent”.
Regarding avocado, they state that “much” of the fruit that was in the process of setting and ripening, has suffered burns or has fallen to the ground after the whip of the wind, for which “losses of up to 80 percent are expected. “, while the dry-land vineyard has been the” most affected “, with vines practically burned by the sun, although we will have to wait for the technicians to assess what can be saved for the harvest.
Those affected are already giving part to agricultural insurance for their expertise.
Finally, from Asaga Canarias it is recommended to apply short and frequent waterings, as well as pay special attention to the crops located at the ends of the plots as they are the most exposed to heat. In addition, given the permanence of high temperatures, reminds field workers to maintain adequate hydration, protect themselves from solar radiation and avoid carrying out work in the central hours of the day.
