Los Llanos de Aridane (Spain) (AFP)

"It makes you want to throw in the towel," blows Pedro Antonio Sanchez, showing the volcanic ash covering his bananas, one of the main riches of the Spanish island of La Palma.

"It's worse than a pest, worse than a disease because it damages" bananas, rants this 60-year-old owner of a small farm, referring to the ashes falling from the sky continuously since the beginning of the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on September 19.

A black "sand" that is almost impossible to remove from the fruit and damages them when handling, transporting and packing banana bunches weighing up to 70 kilos.

"You have to blow on them, or rinse them, I don't know ... And when the dew falls during the night, the ashes are stuck by the water and they do not leave in the morning", the farmer is discouraged. good humor and humor as soon as his gaze lands on his banana trees.

- "Catastrophic situation" -

"I don't want to work, it makes you want to throw in the towel when I see them so ugly ... The situation is really catastrophic", continues Pedro Antonio Sanchez while quality standards can prevent the marketing of bananas damaged even if their consumption is safe, according to the Association of Banana Producers Organizations of the Canary Islands (ASPROCAN).

A banana leaf soiled with ash in the plantation of Pedro Antonio Sanchez, in Los Llanos de Aridane on October 4, 2021 JORGE GUERRERO AFP

And the ashes aren't the biggest problem.

Bananas need a lot of water and right now, "water scarcity is the biggest threat," according to the operator, as lava has destroyed a major pipeline bringing in the water needed for the banana. irrigation of many plantations in the southwest of the island.

In order to alleviate the lack of water in La Palma, which has no rivers or lakes, two seawater desalination units arrived on Tuesday and a tanker loaded with fresh water is expected to arrive during the week. next.

"We have no other way for the moment to bring water in such a short time," said Victor Navarro, head of the waters of the Canary Islands archipelago on public radio.

In the banana plantation of Pedro Antonio Sanchez, in Los Llanos de Aridane, October 4, 2021 JORGE GUERRERO AFP

- 50% of La Palma's GDP -

"There has been a drop of 50 to 60%" in banana arrivals since the start of the eruption, Enrique Rodriguez of the Covalle cooperative told AFP where the bananas arrive to be packed and shipped.

A drop in production which is explained by the fact that "plantations were washed away" and that it is "more difficult for others" to produce because of the consequences of the eruption, he said. he adds.

La Palma produced 148,000 tonnes of bananas in 2020, or 34.5% of the archipelago's total production, according to ASPROCAN.

It is the second of the Canary Islands in terms of production, after Tenerife, and bananas represent 50% of its GDP.

Of the 70,000 hectares of the island, 10% are devoted to agriculture, mainly to the cultivation of bananas (43%), according to the foundation World Biosphere Reserve of La Palma.

JORGE GUERRERO AFP

In addition to the rupture of the irrigation pipe, there are restrictions on access to farms near the lava flows, where farmers are only allowed to water for a short time for safety.

However, the banana "requires a lot of watering every 7 days. Currently, we water every 15 days to save water, and even if they will not dry out, the fruit will suffer", emphasizes Pedro Antonio Sanchez. .

Most banana plantations are small (over 80% are less than one hectare) and farmers have little income.

A heavy situation.

“There are months at 1,000 euros, 1,000 and a few, but few in general,” and others at only 300, explains the operator, worried about his future.

© 2021 AFP