The Government of Chubut, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Industry and Commerce, has been carrying out strong work in plant health since 2019, with the consolidation of transformative policies and the enhancement of programs that lead to maintaining the phytosanitary status.
Within this framework, the Undersecretariat of Agriculture, the area responsible for this transformation, promoted coordinated actions with different institutions in the province to ensure that productions acquire differential values in the main markets of the country and the world. Based on the foundations of different regulations and tasks through programs, the stated objective was achieved, leaving for the next administration a ground prepared to continue strengthening these public policies.
One of the healthiest provinces in the country
The Undersecretary of Agriculture, Claudio Mosqueira, considered that “we are now aware that we are facing new challenges with regard to the control of pests and diseases, where we seek not only to intervene in the different emergencies in the face of their attack, but also to to be prepared in terms of data and technical reports, taking as a primary objective the producer’s awareness of advances in pest monitoring, recognition and control.”
Regarding control, the official specified that “bioinputs are the tool of the future. To this end, we are generating articulation through the dialogue tables, recently formed, with all the provincial actors that have influence in plant health, to diagram the projects that lead to adding the necessary resources to provide tools to the professionals who are investigating. and developing this type of technologies.”
He stated that “we have already taken the initial steps. We put Chubut on the map of national bioinput policies, highlighting that we have the professionals and the basic infrastructure to carry it forward. It is no coincidence that Chubut is among the healthiest provinces in our country.”
“There are actions to be carried out, many of those proposed, lately are in development and others are about to reach it, but we must highlight that during these four years it was possible to support the producer, the productions and it was possible to articulate with all the institutions that make up the productive community of the province. At this point, financing could be obtained based on this clear and horizontal form of work, jointly between producers, institutions and the provincial state.”
Programs
The director of Agriculture and Plant Health, Lucas Cabrera, highlighted some of the actions implemented such as “support for the implementation of Law XI No. 16 on agrochemicals and biocides; adherence to Law 27,279 on phytosanitary packaging and its regulatory decree; the signing of multiple agreements such as with FUNBAPA (Patagonian Zoophytosanitary Barrier) to strengthen the PROCEM (Program for the Control and Eradication of the Fruit Fly) signed with a bill.”
He also highlighted “the implementation of Good Practices adhering to their incorporation into the CAA (Argentine Food Code); the implementation of different emergencies such as the tucura toad, the implementation of 3 Subcommittees dependent on the Provincial Plant Health Commission (COPROSAVE) (Subcommission of Esquel, Paralelo 42 and Sarmiento).”
In that sense, he highlighted that in the 42nd Parallel Region they are carrying out a mitigation plan against Drosophila Suzukii (spotted wing fly), as well as the implementation of the Fruit and Vegetable program in the horticultural belts of the lower Valley of the Chubut River and Sarmiento; the implementation of the provincial integrated pest management plan and an annually updated training plan aimed at strengthening the aforementioned actions.”
Training and technical assistance
The actions that were carried out built spaces for dialogue between professionals from different institutions, where they made their contributions in order to solve key problems of the areas, in matters of Plant Health, adding resources and efforts.
That is why these actions were able to reach each point of the province within the framework of different training and technical assistance programs. At this point, the Drosophila Suzukii Symposium in the 42nd Parallel Region stands out, where professionals and producers from different parts of the province and the country were able to gather to receive an update on the management of the pest through a panel of experts in the theme. It should be noted that this pest affects all fine fruit producers in the province and region.
