Overview

• The specialized aerial application company has confirmed it will cease helicopter fungicide treatments in Albufera rice fields this summer due to increasing bureaucratic and legal restrictions.
• Farmers warn that the absence of aerial fumigation will worsen rice blast outbreaks, potentially raising production losses beyond the 10% recorded last season.
• Ground-based treatment options are more expensive and, in some cases, unfeasible due to the soft terrain in the rice fields, further threatening the sector's profitability.
• Key bureaucratic obstacles include complex flight and pesticide approvals, extensive daily documentation requirements, and a shortage of qualified pilots for the seasonal work.
• AVA-Asaja is urging the Spanish government and EU to simplify regulations, incentivize the sector, and approve drone-based treatments as a viable alternative.