István Nagy: We protect the vineyards!

(Photo: Pixabay)

István Nagy announced on his social media page that a decisive, rapid and coordinated protection action plan has been prepared against the spreading grape disease. The presence of golden yellows has been confirmed in 13 of the 19 counties, especially affecting Zala and the Balaton area. It is not dangerous to humans, it does not get into the wine, but it causes extraordinary damage to the grapes. There is no known cure for it, and the only way to control it is to take action against the pathogen’s transmitter, the American grape cicada – he emphasized.

The Minister explained that a nationwide reconnaissance will begin as part of the action plan consisting of several measures

The National Council of Mountain Communities (HNT) will organize plant health inspection teams, which will visit plantations nationwide, and laboratory capacities will be expanded in order to effectively evaluate samples.

The cicada population can also be reduced with post-harvest treatments, so a national pesticide program will be launched, and aerial spraying will be used in the most severely affected areas

A decision was also made to authorize mountain judges to eradicate infected vineyards more quickly. The use of infection-free, domestically produced, certified propagation material is also encouraged, and the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) will urgently examine applications from potential pesticides, he said. István Nagy emphasized that the protection of grapes is not only an economic, but also a tourist and national interest, so grape growers can count on the government. “Together, we can protect vineyards more effectively than ever before,” he added.

AM/MTI