More funds to combat the root weevil.

The pest was discovered in a parterre in the municipality of Moya, in Gran Canaria, and extended to a nearby nursery, causing damage to crops.

The Department of agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water of the Canary Islands Government has invested so far 100.000 euros in the struggle of the root weevil or Diaprepes named, plague that began in 2014 a parterre in the municipality of Moya, in Gran Canaria, and extended to a nearby nursery, causing damage to crops.

The initial amount for controlling the outbreak in the municipality was about 23.000 EUR, However, It has increased because the difficulty of the actions carried out further investment required. Also, is pending compensation for the farmer, owner of the farm, in order to compensate for the economic losses.

In response to a parliamentary question in plenary, the Adviser, Narvay Quintero, He referred to the measures implemented by the regional government to eradicate this evil.

Like this, He explained that since it had evidence of this pest, the regional Department through entrustment of the Plant Health Service public company management Canary Islands Rural Areas (GMR), He conducted late 2014 and during the months of January and February 2015 sampling in the affected area.

Then, The area was divided according to degree of involvement to act in those areas with major problems. foremen, engineers agricultural technicians and agronomists established a plan to eliminate citrus- the most affected crop- present throughout the farm.

Once deleted It proceeded to apply the phytosanitary treatment felled remains, enmallaron and they started with the treatment of the soil, which it was disinfected by careful process. Once this, It proceeded to plant called citrus trap in the areas most affected.

parallel, They were carried out actions in the avocado and the plants raising the farm to avoid the spread of Diaprepes.

Also, last August, the presence of adults of weevils was observed in plataneras, so we proceeded to treat similarly. Currently the nursery is under surveillance and periodic inspections are performed to see the evolution of the plague after the measures adopted.

During all this time there has been a maximum number of eight technicians conducting fieldwork and a minimum of three, so that the Ministry has maintained an average of five people developing activities on the farm and in the nursery affected, between foremen, Agricultural technical engineers and agronomists.

"We have serious deficiencies phytosanitary inspection; the monitoring means with which the State has provided the archipelago are scarce and violate the provisions of the Ministerial Order 1987, as you have heard repeated over and over again to farmers, and not being controlled with the necessary thoroughness input product out ", He said the owner of Agriculture.

"From the Ministry we are working to, as far as we can and until we get the skills in this topic, established greater controls on the entry of goods from outside What, many times, They come with harmful organisms that harm local production ", Quintero she added.