Startup Observer.com
  • Home
  • Industries
  • Innovation
  • outsourcing
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Headlines
  • Opinion
  • News
Home News Farmers despair as volcano ravages La Palma’s banana crop
News

Farmers despair as volcano ravages La Palma’s banana crop

by jcp September 24, 2021
September 24, 2021
gawdo

By Marco Trujillo and Nacho Doce

LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Spain (Reuters) – In more than 50 years growing bananas on the Spanish island of La Palma, Antonio Brito Alvarez has never seen anything like the devastation wrought by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which has been spewing out molten rock and ash since Sunday.

“All this is burnt, burnt from the heat and the wind … The bananas are totally burnt,” said Alvarez, 65, picking off charred black fruit from a tree in his small plantation in the agricultural heartland of Los Llanos de Aridane.

Fruit that was spared the scorching heat has been spoiled by fine particles of hard volcanic dust, which chip away at the banana’s skin, leaving it unsuitable for sale.

“These can’t be taken to the packer,” he said.

Walls of black lava https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/canaries-volcano-blasts-lava-into-air-ash-blankets-area-2021-09-23 have been slowly ploughing westward from the eruption site since Sunday, destroying homes, schools, churches and plantations, just down the road from Alvarez’s farm.

Despite his ruined crop, Alvarez, who left school at 13 to work in the fields, considers himself one of the lucky ones – neither his plantation nor his home were swallowed by the lava.

“When it started burning the houses, destroying them … I went off on my own and I began to cry,” he said. “Please, just let it stop.”

With a much smaller tourist sector than nearby Tenerife or Gran Canaria, La Palma, an island of about 80,000 people in the Canaries archipelago, depends on banana cultivation for around half its economic output.

The volcano has put about 15% of the island’s annual production at risk, endangering up to 5,000 jobs, the industry has said.

“Losses are already occurring because the banana is in constant production. It is a plant that requires fairly regular irrigation and almost daily work,” said Sergio Caceres, manager of the Asprocan banana producers’ association.

The island’s steep, rugged terrain is ill-suited to automation, meaning farmers need daily access to care for their crops.

Authorities, who want to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles, have banned local farmers from harvesting until Tuesday.

If the lava keeps flowing towards the sea, it may come into contact with irrigation pipes that feed the entire region, warned Alvarez, adding: “That would be a very serious problem.”

 

(Reporting by Nacho Doce and Marco Trujillo in La Palma and Emma Pinedo in Madrid; Writing by Nathan Allen; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

 

www.gawdo.com
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
previous post
Britain has 10 days to save Christmas, retail sector says
next post
World’s youth take to the streets again to battle climate change

You may also like

Open University to focus on societal challenges that...

June 23, 2022

Aramco and Cognite join forces in new data...

June 22, 2022

Sponsors Announced for Biggest Ever Summer School for...

June 20, 2022
Editorial & Advertiser disclosureEditorial & Advertiser disclosureOur website provides you with information, news, press releases, Opinion and advertorials on various financial products and services. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third party websites, affiliate sales networks, and may link to our advertising partners websites. Though we are tied up with various advertising and affiliate networks, this does not affect our analysis or opinion. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you, or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a partner endorsed link.
gawdo.com
https://www.gawdo.com
  • About us
  • Advertising & Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

@2021 - All Right Reserved.


Back To Top
Startup Observer.com
  • Home
  • Industries
  • Innovation
  • outsourcing
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Headlines
  • Opinion
  • News
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT