The garlic sector has repeatedly expressed concern about the disappearance of active ingredients for the cultivation of this vegetable in the European Union, as was made clear at the meeting of the Spanish-Italian-French Garlic Committee last May in Cadours (France). ). The 2030 Agenda contemplates the disappearance of different pesticides to achieve more ecological agriculture, which does not convince the National Garlic Board due to the lack of alternatives in a crop that is very sensitive to competition from weeds.
According to Julio Bacote, president of the Board, "banning phytosanitary products creates a drop in production that we cannot accept and that we have been announcing for a long time. In the case of garlic, we have practically run out of broadleaf herbicides." In addition, if the plan marked by the schedule is followed, he predicts that they will also be left "without fungicides for the blanquilla or the seeds."
A few weeks ago, they met with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, where the need to find alternatives to phytosanitary products was repeated. Bacete assures that these alternatives do not yet exist and may have a high price, which would mean that many farmers would stop planting.
Likewise, another of his claims is that these parameters are also required for products from third countries outside the European Union. "Here, we have prohibited products being used in other countries, such as Morocco or South Africa," the president stressed. "This can cause a revolution because we are not going to be able to bear it; the revolution of not being able to produce."