Damage to agriculture caused by strong winds last weekend have been estimated at 70% for avocado crops and at 50% for bananas in some areas of La Palma. This is the general assessment carried out by technicians of the Agricultural Extension Agencies and reported by the Council this Tuesday.

According to the agricultural technicians, banana trees have suffered severe defoliation, which added to the low temperatures registered during the winter will make good plant growth more difficult.

The wind was more intense in Amagar and the Tijarafe coast, where it is estimated that between 30 and 40% of the crops may be affected.

The cultivation of avocados has also been hit in this municipality, where up to 30% of the fruit has dropped in some plots.

Meanwhile, in the Aridane Valley, avocados were also the most affected by the wind, with 60% of the fruit estimated to have dropped.

Here, technicians stress that the losses are countless, since the damages caused by the wind storm add to those of previous months, and thus almost 100% is estimated to have been in many areas of Los Llanos de Aridane.

As for banana plantations, the wind damaged 50% of the crops in farms of El Remo and Las Hoyas, two very reputable areas for banana cultivation on the island.

In areas of La Laguna and Todoque, also in Los Llanos de Aridade, up to 50% of the crops were affected.

Also noteworthy are the losses caused by the wind to orange growers, with up to 40% of the crops affected in farms of El Paso, Los Llanos and Puntagorda.

Given these reports, the insular Councillor of Agriculture, José Basilio Pérez, expressed his concern about this new setback, after strong winds also affected the agricultural sector in January and February.

Last weekend, wind gusts reaching 129 kilometres per hour were registered by the station of the State Agency of Meteorology (AEMET) located in El Time, Tijarafe, in the west of the island.

The Councillor was concerned about the fact that some agricultural subsectors do not have group insurance as a safeguard against such situations.

"We must ensure that the various insurance providers, both collective and individual, carry out their assessments in the shortest time and make their payments effective also as soon as possible to somehow palliate the effects of the wind," stated José Basilio Pérez.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/