Spain: More farmers in the Valencian Community benefit from aid for cottony cushion scale in citrus and persimmons

The Valencian Community's Department of Agriculture has approved a new allocation of more than 140,000 euros to compensate for the economic losses of 21 citrus and persimmon farms affected by the South African mealybug (Delottococcus aberiae) pest during the 2021-2022 campaign. These grants are added to the 1.7 million euros granted last September, raising the total support to more than 4 million euros between this year and next. The farmers who benefited from this measure accredited losses of more than 30% of their production compared to the average of the three previous campaigns, which allows them to benefit from these grants aimed at alleviating the impact of a pest that has caused significant damage to the sector. The South African mealybug, first detected in the Valencian Community in 2009, affects the marketing of fruit, leaving it unusable both for the fresh market and for industry in the most serious cases. This pest has been a significant challenge for Valencian farmers, ...