Grapevine fungus plague leads to crop loss

ALMOST all of the grapevines in the Axarquia region have been affected by a plague of mildew.

Losses on crops are expected to reach up to 80 per cent according to the mayor of El Borge, Salvador Fernandez, who also said that the plague, caused by a fungus which has grown stronger thanks to the heavy rains and high temperatures of the past spring, is causing severe damages in the town which is one of the area’s main producers of grapes and the main source for Malaga raisins.

Experts from the Velez Regional Farming Office and the Junta de Andalucia Agriculture and Fishery Delegation have visited El Borge to evaluate the damages.

This report will be used to carry out necessary procedures so that the loss of crops is not included in the reduction of amounts subsidized by EU funds. The Mayor plans to meet with the provincial representative of the Agriculture and Fishery Department, Monica Bermudez, to speed up the process.