Spinach producers from Murcia, Alicante and Almeria, spinach breeders, pesticide manufacturers, national and international fresh cut processors, representatives of the regional administration, AEPLA and PROEXPORT have analysed the phytosanitary situation of spinach in Spain, reaching the sad conclusion that the country's production is in a more difficult situation than in other countries of the European Union.
Representatives of all links in the production chain met in Lorca to take part in a conference organised by Rijk Zwaan (the world's leading producer of spinach seeds) under the title "Conference on spinach pathologies". The event gave everyone the chance to share their views on the future of this crop in south eastern Spain and to address the main problems they are facing.
Fresh cut processors believe that, in the future, they may be forced to divert some of the purchases they currently do in Spain to other countries, due to the problems experienced in the control of diseases caused by the lack of pesticides authorised for the crop.
Spinach producers unanimously asked the Ministry of Agriculture to activate, once and for all, the Procedure for the Expansion in the Use of Pesticides for Minor Crops, as this system, which has been successfully implemented for years in other neighbouring countries, could ensure the provision of tools to fight crop diseases and obtain a production with the quality demanded by the market.
They also highlighted the discomfort caused to various producers by the arbitrary restrictions on the use of pesticides, which greatly complicate the control of diseases such as downy mildew (Peronospora farinosa), which causes chronic losses exceeding 20% of the production.
Meanwhile, seed producers warned that the lack of control of this disease may threaten the availability of seeds for future campaigns, as mildew is managing to overcome the plant's resistance at a quicker pace then they are able to select resistant varieties.
The conclusion of the event was the commitment reached by all participants to try outlining the professionalism and modernization achieved in the production of this crop to those in charge of the registration of crop protection products and of European distribution chains, as well as to society in general, stressing the need for adequate tools to fight the diseases that affect them and to make proper use of them, in strict compliance with the rules and technical criteria of efficiency and sustainability.