Due to the shortage of pesticides, this little parasite could spread to corn, sweet potatoes, rice, potatoes and sugar cane
14ymedio, Havana, July 29, 2024 — As if its disappearance from the Cuban markets wasn’t enough due to inflation and the price cap, the black bean has been facing another enemy since June. The black bedbug, a plague that the official press describes as “exotic” and that appears in Cuba for the first time, is threatening the vegetable crops on the Island.
The first affected municipalities were Imías, Maisí and Baracoa, in the province of Guantánamo, where the plague has devastated 55 hectares of pigeon peas [edamame], Peruvian white beans and green beans.
Bedbugs don’t even appear on the official list of quarantined pests on the Island, Judith Medina, head of the Plant Health department, told the local newspaper, but already “constitute a challenge for the Agriculture delegation.” According to the authorities, the black bedbug feeds on young or adult leaves and stems, causing “withering, discoloration and delayed growth.”
“Due to the wide range of hosts and the economic value of the plantations, surveillance in the planting of the bean has been intensified, as well as the training of the productive bases, peasants, technicians
