Upon the detection of HLB (Huanlongbing) cases in citrus plantations in the province of Misiones and its progress in several Latin American countries, INTA Yuto's Experimental Station of Tropical Crops convened the different actors of the sector in the NOA region, as well as technicians and institutions in Bolivia to a workshop to coordinate actions in order to strengthen the prevention of this devastating disease of citrus in the productive regions of both countries.
The NOA region is one of the most important citrus-growing areas of Argentina as it supplies much of the domestic market and exports some of its products to different countries. Due to the potential of the region and the opportunities for growth that it has -after the reopening of markets such as Chile and the US- the citrus sector in the region considers it essential to have a regional approach in order to protect the production from the HLB, as its entry could destroy the production.
The director of the EECTY, Engineer Aldo Arroyo said: "Our call focused on strengthening the inter-linked work on preventing the entry of HLB to the region. That's why we invited our counterparts in Bolivia, as this disease does not respect borders and, in this sense, our aim is to find points of mutual reinforcement for a regional approach emphasizing on coordination and prevention."
Regarding the cases detected in Misiones, he said: "We are moving forward and taking a step forward because we understand that the national program structure is not enough and we must advance to a regional approach". He added that, "a large delegation of experts and officials from major production areas in Bolivia came to the conference and we will provide them with the knowledge and skills we gained with our fruits in the region because the NOA is free of the disease and are seeking to prevent and maintain that status," he said.
In this regard, he highlighted that the citrus industry was a relevant activity in the region and that it generated jobs throughout the year. It is a substantial and important social, economic, productive and environmental activity, especially in the provinces of Jujuy and Salta.
To improve production, the Experimental Yuto "has been working on several fronts. Researching plant material, varieties, genetics, adaptation of new species, extension, technical assistance, institutional management linked to the sector, and training, among other things. But essentially trying to promote a link to strengthen the sector so that it can be competitive, strengthening it and allowing it to have the prominence that the provinces of Jujuy and Salta have always had in the citrus industry," he said.
The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Yuto, Ruben Valdiviezo, the head of the Directorate of Agricultural Health and Quality of Jujuy, Dr. Leandro Guipponi; the head of the Directorate General for Agriculture of Salta, Engineer Gunther Shreiner; the Director of EECTY, Aldo Arroyo; technicians and officials from Bolivia, representatives of Senasa, Inase, Afinoa, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the UNJU, producers and institutions linked to the sector, among others.
Source: SM - Infobae