Congressman’s efforts have contributed to the eradication of pink bollworm
Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON — Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) helped secure $11.52 million to keep the boll weevil, which
Thanks in part to the Congressman’s steadfast efforts over the years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in October 2018 that the U.S. successfully eradicated pink bollworm. This announcement came as a huge relief to the U.S. cotton industry, that was plagued by this invasive pest for 100 years.
“I am pleased to see that my ongoing efforts to help eradicate pink bollworm has been successful,” said Congressman Cuellar. “However, there is still more work to be done— boll weevil remains rampant in the portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley bordering the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. This cotton pest proves itself to be most destructive in North America and has cost cotton producers around $23 billion since its introduction. The Rio Grande Valley is an important agricultural powerhouse for Texas, which is why it is crucial that we apply these funds in order to protect our cotton growers in the Valley.”
“The National Cotton Council is very appreciative of Congressman Cuellar’s efforts to maintain adequate funding for the Joint Cotton Pests account to help facilitate the eradication of the boll weevil in south Texas,” said Gary Adams, President, and CEO of the National Cotton Council. “This federal-state-grower cost-share program is a successful example of a public-private partnership that has delivered tremendous economic and environmental benefits for cotton producers across the entire U.S. cotton belt.”
Boll weevil is an invasive pest that entered the U.S. from Mexico in 1892 and spread across the entire Cotton Belt, which stretches from Texas across the South to Virginia, within a 30-year period. In 1979, American cotton producers teamed up with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to eradicate the pest. This resulted in the creation of a cost-share program in which producers pay 70 percent of the program cost and APHIS provides the remaining 30 percent through appropriations to keep the pest at bay.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley has been identified as a buffer zone between active boll weevil populations in Mexico and boll weevil-free areas in the U.S. That is why it is so important to keep up eradication efforts so as to eradicate boll weevil from all cotton-producing areas of the United States and adjacent areas of Northern Mexico.
