Between 40 and 50% of the production of string beans at st john valley is being lost, affected by the whitefly (Bemisia tobacco), which inoculates a virus in this agricultural product, known as “golden mosaic”.
The information was offered by the producer and agricultural leader of that province, Manuel Matos, who confirmed to Diario Libre that, although historically it is a problem that has affected the st john valley, this year has been a “very serious” infestation.
Matos explained that the virus puts the plantations of string beans yellow and stop producing.
“This virus has the particularity that it does not allow productivity. It is inoculated in the plantations, so they flower, but do not produce grains. That is the basic problem that exists right now in the province”, he declared.
He reported that in September and October, periods in which considerable rains should occur, the whitefly population decreases drastically, but that during the past year the precipitations were not so intense, in addition to the fact that the temperatures did not drop enough, which it was also an incentive for the reproduction of the insect.
“There is a resolution since 1989 that all crops that are hosts of this insect be eliminated three months before planting the crops. string beans, that is, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, all of these are hosts and must be eliminated so that the insect does not reproduce,” he said.
The agricultural producer said he expects some type of help for the farmers who are “losing everything”, suggesting that in the next planting cycle credit be granted at a zero rate, that there be the possibility of soil preparation, that some level of of profitability so that they begin to overcome the loss “which are many hundreds of millions of pesos that are being lost here in San Juan.”
He revealed that, although he understands that the Minister of farming, Limber Cruz, will soon go to the province, until now they have no official answers.
