New crops are arriving in Lanzarote. This is the case of Proteas, ornamental plants that since 2004 have begun to be cultivated experimentally in Lanzarote. On the morning of Wednesday, February 7, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of the Cabildo presented the results of the tests, which determine the degree of adaptation to the land. The species that are most resistant and therefore more profitable for cultivation will be used for export outside our borders.
A particular property in the Vega de Machín has been the setting where Higinio Hernández presented the results of the tests carried out on the proteas by the technicians of the island Corporation area to determine which species of these decorative plants were most resistant to the island climate.
Used as plants of high ornamental value, proteas are grown for cut flowers and are native to South Africa. They are plants that grow at high altitudes and in cool climates. They arrived in Lanzarote three years ago, since in 2004 they began to be cultivated experimentally. Although in the rest of the Canary Islands, mainly in La Palma and Tenerife, they were implemented 20 years ago with very good results
Currently, the islands produce around one million specimens that are exported to countries such as the United States, Japan and Australia.