Spain Consell invests 14 million to build a world reference center in the biological fight against pests

The Consell (a municipality in Spain) will invest 14.2 million euros to convert the Caudete de las Fuentes bioplant into a world reference center in the biological fight against pests. The president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, and the Minister of Agriculture, Mireia Mollà, visited this biological pest control center recently to find out the details of the construction project. The work is expected to begin this year and the construction of a new building in Caudete makes it necessary to build a new evolutionary in Elx and expand the facilities of the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), in Moncada.

Puig visited the Caudete insect plant. | LIFT-EMV

Since 2007, the Caudete facilities have housed the pioneering sterile insect technique, the main method of combating the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), which mainly affects citrus fruits. The sterilization and subsequent massive release of sterile males makes fertilization and viability of the eggs unfeasible, so cultures are preserved and 'ceratitis' populations are reduced by 50%.

Puig assured that the results of the experience have made it possible to reduce chemical fumigation by aerial means by 95%. The expansion objective is to increase the production capacity of sterile males by 60% and extend the fighting method to 100% of the citrus fields and another 40,000 hectares of fruit trees.

Mireia Mollà commented that the increase in capacity would expand the release areas by 60,000 hectares - from the current 140,000 hectares to 200,000 hectares. "We want the Caudete bioplant to also enable other biological control projects, such as those carried out by the Ministry against the Mediterranean fruit fly or the olive fruit fly".