Banana farmers lose livelihoods as lava devours La Palma

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Ash from the volcano covers a banana plantation connected the Canary land of La Palma, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The volcano that has been roaring connected Spain's La Palma for implicit six weeks has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and workers who turn and merchantability the Canary Islands banana. So far, lava flows person covered implicit 390 acres of onshore dedicated to the cultivation of the saccharine yellowish effect that feeds 30% of the economical centrifugal of the Atlantic island. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

His location went first. Then the location his begetter built. Then the lottery basal and hardware store helium owned succumbed.

Lastly, Antonio Álvarez had to ticker arsenic lava from a volcanic eruption dilatory devoured the remaining pillar of his family’s wealth: the twelve acres helium dedicated to increasing the Canary Island banana that for generations has provided the cultivation lifeblood of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago.

“My begetter ever told maine ‘don’t marque the location excessively big, it won’t marque you money; put successful banana! The bananas volition springiness you a house.' And it’s true,” Álvarez said. “When I filmed (the lava destroying) my father’s house, it was seeing him dice each implicit again. That location was a portion of him.”

Álvarez, 54, is 1 of thousands of farmers and workers connected Spain’s La Palma land whose livelihoods person been enactment successful jeopardy by the demolition wrecked by volcano that is inactive going beardown six weeks aft the crushed archetypal broke unfastened connected Sept. 19.

The determination authorities of the Canary Islands, an archipelago including La Palma located disconnected the seashore of northwest Africa, estimates that the volcano has already caused 100 cardinal euros ($116 million) successful losses for the island’s banana industry. Over 390 acres (158 hectares) of onshore utilized for banana farming person been covered by molten rock, and much than 700 further acres (300 hectares) person been chopped disconnected aft roads connected the island's occidental broadside were enveloped by lava.

The banana growers relation for the Canary Islands, ASPROCAN, estimates that astir 1,500 of the island’s 5,000 owners of banana plantations person been hurt. Most owners person tiny patches of a fewer acres. Many, similar Álvarez, person seen their onshore burnt and crushed. Others person mislaid harvests due to the fact that they can't get to their trees. And galore much person seen their merchandise go unmarketable owed to the volcanic ash that has ruined the banana peels.

It's been an daze question for an manufacture that provides 30% of the economical beingness of the island, according to determination authorities statistics. There are full businesses dedicated to packing and transporting the fruit, which, on with tourism, keeps La Palma going.

“They accidental it has wiped retired 10% of the island’s economy. I deliberation it is more. It wasn’t conscionable the bananas, oregon the apartments, oregon the furniture and breakfasts, it has taken everything,” Álvarez said. “What has happened to america has happened to 90% of the radical here.”

La Palma, an land of 85,000, is the second-largest shaper of banana for the eight-member archipelago, which astatine its nearest constituent is 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco. Last twelvemonth it produced 148,000 tons of the section banana, astir of which were shipped to Spain’s mainland. While usually much costly than imported bananas from Latin America and Africa, the smaller Canary Island banana is often preferred for its sweeter sensation and meatier texture.

Authorities person pledged fiscal assistance to assistance the assemblage and money furloughs for workers. They person besides promised to revise a instrumentality that says that caller onshore formed by the lava is spot of the state.

Desalination plants person been shipped successful to proviso the water-dependent banana trees astatine points wherever lava flows person wrecked the irrigation systems. The island’s authorities has asked for the subject to see taking farmers successful by vessel to thin to farms that person been isolated by the rivers of lava.

The lava, however, keeps spewing from the Cumbre Vieja ridge, threatening to widen and devour much onshore arsenic it churns its mode downward to the Atlantic, wherever a caller spot of lava onshore is forming.

The location of husbandman Jesús Pérez is inactive astatine risk, but for him the astir important spot helium owns is already gone.

“I would person prefered to suffer my location alternatively of my banana trees,” the 56-year-old Pérez said. “The trees springiness you life, the location gives you nothing. I person sacrificed each my life, and for what, nothing?”

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Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona.

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