The Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers Organizations of Almería (Coexphal) has delivered to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, a box of peppers affected by Thrips parvispinus in order to demand additional tools against a pest that is damaging practically the entire surface of pepper grown under greenhouse in the province.
As they explained in a statement, along with the peppers a letter and material from the campaign “Peppers with a brand,” launched by the organization, have been included, to give visibility to the impact of this insect on one of the key crops of Almerían horticulture.
With this initiative, the fruit and vegetable producers intend to convey to the Government the “severity” of a problem that “is already having important economic and productive consequences for the sector,” and for which they are demanding “extraordinary measures” that reinforce the current biological control tools used against the pest.
The action is being carried out after the Ministry rejected the Junta of Andalucía’s request to exceptionally authorize the use of spirotetramat, an active substance that the European Union banned in 2024.
Under the title “Mr. Minister, Don’t you like peppers?”, the missive invites questions about the response offered so far by the central Executive in the face of a phytosanitary threat “that has forced the mobilization of farmers, cooperatives, farming organizations, technicians, researchers and regional administrations.”
Coexphal emphasizes that the sector “does not request permanent exceptions nor does it question the European model of reducing active substances,” but considers it essential that “in an extraordinary situation, exceptional measures can be adopted.” “It is important for the ministry to join the sector’s work in search of solutions that help the main crop of the province of Almería and one of the main crops of Andalucía,” the association has urged.
Pest containment and management measures
The business organization recalls that in recent years a strategy of “containment” and “management” of Thrips parvispinus has been deployed based on preventive measures on farms and on strengthening technical advice to farmers. At the same time, a specific protocol has been disseminated for the correct management of plant waste, whose compliance is mandatory according to the Junta regulations.
In the same way, the implementation of biological control programs has been "intensified", "one of the main hallmarks of the Almería productive model and an international reference in the sustainable production of vegetables, especially in the cultivation of peppers, with the practice of integrated control in 99% of the farms".
Among the most prominent decisions in the sector is the proposal for an extraordinary biological pause in extensive production areas, a measure assumed "despite the high economic cost it entails, with the aim of reducing the pest's population pressure between campaigns".
The letter also highlights the creation of the Mesa de Sanidad Vegetal, promoted by the Junta de Andalucía, in which the rest of the agricultural organizations participate, as well as constant collaboration with researchers, technicians and producers to improve the systems for detecting, preventing and controlling the insect.
Four consecutive campaigns of losses
The brief sent to the minister also incorporates an economic assessment of the impact of the pest on peppers. With data from Coexphal, since the 2022/23 campaign there has been an average drop of ten percent per campaign in production and marketing, "a consequence of both the uprooted hectares and those that have not been replanted in light of the difficulties in controlling the pest".
Overall, this situation "results in a loss of 360,000 tons of production during the last four campaigns, equivalent to around 360 million euros at origin and about 540 million euros at destination".
For the organization, these figures "show that Almería peppers are going through one of the most complex moments in their recent history" and "justify the need to reinforce the arsenal available to deal with a pest that jeopardizes the profitability of the farms, the continuity of many companies and the competitiveness of production that is strategic for Spain in the European markets".