The expansion of Xylella fastidiosa in the Valencian Community has attenuated its growth rate, according to the data of the last update, number 13 since the plague was detected in 2017, on the evolution of the same elaborated by the Department of Agriculture , Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition.
In fact, the presence of Xylella remains in the same number of plant species as in the previous update: a total of 17; and in the same number of municipalities: 60 within the so-called infected zone, all of them in the province of Alicante, and 74 in the demarcated area, 72 in Alicante and 2 in Valencia.
In addition, the new regulation, published last August, on measures to combat the plague reduces the eradication area to a quarter by increasing the radius set around infected plants from 100 to 50 meters, which decreases from significantly the number of trees to be uprooted.
Thus, and after the approval of this change in criteria promoted by the Ministry, the demarcated area has experienced a reduction of 16% and currently stands at 128,003 hectares, while the infected area occupies an area of 2,055 hectares, of which which 197 correspond to the radius of the 428 positives that have been detected in this latest update.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mireia Mollà, together with the General Director of Agriculture, Roger Llanes, has held a meeting with representatives of the agricultural sector to inform them of the latest news regarding the evolution of the bacteria. «Although we must appeal to caution on an issue that has dramatic consequences for affected farmers, the latest available data reveals that the measures we are adopting are pointing in the right direction and are slowing the rate of expansion of the pest,» he stressed. Mollà.
However, the councilor has called for caution «because we are talking about a bacterium and, of course, we are not going to lower our guard, since we are aware of the danger it entails.»