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Eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano affects banana sector of the Canary Islands
VU
The Canarian banana sector suffers consequences of the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano which is in La Palma, the Canary Islands.
In the first place there are farms that were buried by lava. According to Domingo Martín, president of the Association of Organizations of Producers of Bananas of the Canary Islands (Asprocan), the total area of razed land reaches about 36 hectares.
According to Asprocan, the losses of farmers from the Aridane Valley, the area where banana production takes place, would reach 30-40%, up to 40 million kilos.
The ashes have fallen on much of the island's territory, including the banana plantations. It gets everywhere and makes it impossible to collect the fruit. Farmers have to blow it out before cutting it, which is very expensive. The pyroclastic material does not affect the taste of bananas, however, the fruit is easily scratched and loses its attractiveness, which results in a problem of marketing the fruit.
Asprocan suggests to freeze the Canarian banana that was affected by the volcano's ashes. First they will carry out some tests to verify if after freezing the banana is not affected and it retains its properties, flavor and texture.
In addition, they inform that these bananas will be donated to social launchrooms, and will not be used for commercialization.
Once it is safe to collect the fruit, it will be transferred to a freezing plant in Almería, from where it will be packed and shipped throughout Spain.
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain (MITECO) announced that it is already working with the Insular Council of Waters of La Palma and the Ministry of Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands on a plan to guarantee adequate irrigation in the affected plantations. They reported that 2 portable desalination plants will be installed in Puerto Naos that will help keep the plants alive until there are other solutions.
source: elpais.com, antena3.com
photo: en.as.com
