Efectos de la Pudrición de Cogollo en la actividad económica del sector Palmicultor de Santander

Abstract

Pudrición de Cogollo Disease is currently the biggest phytosanitary challenge of oil palm cultivation in Colombia, as it can attack palms at any phenological age aggressively and with a high dispersal capacity. Pudrición de cogollo is a disease caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora palmivora, which is capable of degrading the innermost tissues, in addition to deteriorating the emission of new arrows and therefore stops the growth of the palm. This disease was a severe crisis from 2007 in the palm oil sector of Colombia, specifically in Santander and Tumaco, with Puerto Wilches and Sabana de Torres being the most affected areas, where the loss of 5.5 billion pesos is estimated at the national level and a loss of more than 8000 jobs in Puerto Wilches alone. This brought with it not only an economic but also a social problem because small and medium-sized producers are the greatest driving force of production in the area. Therefore, this research work seeks to examine, characterize, understand and deepen the effects of pudrición de cogollo on palm oil production in Santander through the collection of data from the sector, in order to measure the impact on crops and thus propose strategies and actions for the palm oil economic activity of Santander.