The City Council of El Ejido (Almería) has announced that it has already started the third phase of the municipal video surveillance system, a measure with which it aims to respond to the growing concern over thefts and burglaries in the agricultural operations of the municipality.
This issue was addressed this Monday in a meeting with Asaja Almería, in which, furthermore, the expansion of "Thrips parvispinus" and the needs for new water infrastructures for the municipality were analyzed, according to the agricultural organization in an informative note.
The mayor of El Ejido, Julia Ibáñez, detailed that, in light of the increase in thefts, a specific device of the Local Police has been activated to intensify surveillance in the affected agricultural areas, within the City Council's competences. At the same time, she recalled that the City Council has requested "on numerous occasions" from the Government Subdelegation a reinforcement of the Civil Guard and the means allocated to field surveillance.
Asaja Almería has once again emphasized to farmers the need to report any theft or burglary, even if it is of little value, since reports allow for a better understanding of the real situation, facilitate investigations, and help locate the areas where it is a priority to increase surveillance.
Another central topic of the meeting was "Thrips parvispinus," a pest already widespread in the main producing areas of the province, whose presence is beginning to "especially worry with the start of new crops."
Asaja Almería stressed that prevention and coordination among all involved agents are "fundamental to contain its evolution." Both the City Council and the agricultural organization agreed on the need to extend measures to the entire productive environment, reinforcing surveillance and monitoring of the plantations, complying with established protocols, and, in particular, intensifying cleanliness around greenhouses and in those spaces that may become reservoirs of the pest.
The agricultural organization insists that this work "should not be limited to the interior of the operations, but also requires attention to the agricultural environment, as the presence of spontaneous vegetation and other nearby sources can hinder pest control."
Infrastructures and water for the agricultural future
In the meeting, the urgency of advancing in new infrastructures and in the guarantee of water resources for El Ejido was also addressed, "given the strategic importance of water for the maintenance of agricultural activity and the future of the sector in the municipality."
Asaja Almería raised the need to continue working with the different administrations to bring forward solutions that "guarantee the necessary water resources for the farms."
The president of Asaja Almería, Adoración Blanque, highlighted these periodic meetings with local administrations, especially at the beginning of the campaign, to "bring to the table the problems that farmers are encountering on the ground and seek ways of coordination and response."