The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Alicia Vanoostende, has described the entry and expansion of the Mexican cochineal plague as "inexplicable", which is currently affecting the north of the island of Lanzarote after devastating La Palma and the south of Tenerife.
This plague has been ravaging the prickly pears of Mala and Guatiza for several months. The spread of cochineal through the fields of the island is of great concern to the Cactus Garden, for example, because of how this epidemic may affect its facilities.
“The problem is not in the cultivated farms but in the wild areas, where the plague spreads uncontrollably because no treatments are carried out,” the councillor pointed out.
Vanoostende also highlighted the council's intention to try to contact the owners of the wild areas to try to carry out the necessary treatments.
From the mixed group, Ricardo Fernández de la Puente highlighted the “enormous” potential that cochineal has in the islands. On the other hand, Oswaldo Betancor, from the nationalist group, pointed out that it is a "very abrasive" plague.
