Good fruit set in Liguria "But without rain it will be hard"

“We make the sign of the cross and hope that the Almighty will send us some rain”. Gianni Benza (in the picture), councilor of the Italian Association of oil millers for Liguria relies on prayer to save the olive season. In a region where the olive groves are perched on terraces torn from the mountain, with the variety Taggiasca protagonist, there are about 27 thousand hectares destined for this cultivation which involves over 23 farms, with an average surface that does not even exceed one hectare.
“The setting – explains Benza – was satisfactory. Here we say that if the bunch holds three olives there is the year, if it holds one or two there is half a year. And the latter scenario is the one that has been registered. It's not so much, for heaven's sake, but compared to the past campaign, expectations are much better. Of course, if this heat and drought continues, I don't know how long the olives will last on the vine. A little rain would be needed from here to about ten days. But unfortunately in Liguria it's been three months since a drop of water has gone down. Even the historical rivers are in a shoal that has never been seen before. Among other things we are talking about a region which, due to its geographical conformation, does not lend itself to having reservoirs or wells and irrigation is an exception. The last real rain was at Christmas, then a few short showers. Too little even for olive groves accustomed to water stress".