The pest, which particularly affects Clemenules plantations in the province of Castellón, is causing significant damage to both production and the commercial quality of the fruit. According to the entity, the situation is concerning due to the high presence of this mite in the fields.
Controlling this pest has led to a notable increase in farm expenses. In some cases, specific treatments to combat the red spider mite already exceed 2,700 euros per hectare, a figure that threatens the sector's profitability.
The organization points out that several acaricides have lost effectiveness, which they attribute to the possible emergence of resistance and the reduction of active substances authorized by European regulations. To address this issue, they propose creating a national surveillance network and developing sensitivity maps for mite populations.
Furthermore, they have requested that officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Generalitat Valenciana visit the producing areas to see firsthand the effects of the pest and the rise in production costs.
