Large olive growing areas are on their knees in Puglia due to yesterday's violent hailstorms, accompanied by strong gusts of wind. All the trade associations announced it, with a request for intervention from the institutions in support of the affected companies, showing eloquent images of the disaster created not only for olive growing, but also for other productions in the region, such as grapes and tomatoes.
“It's a disaster, there are those who have lost everything” is the comment of Gennaro Sicolo, president of CIA Puglia and president of Italia Olivicola, in recounting what happened throughout Northern Puglia. In the province of Foggia, the greatest damage is found especially in the rural areas of San Severo, Lucera, Sannicandro, Torremaggiore. In the Bari area, the worst effects of the sudden wave of bad weather were seen in Molfetta, Terlizzi, Ruvo, Corato, Giovinazzo and Bitonto. “The reports and images that have reached us are heartbreaking, thousands and thousands of olives are on the ground, swept away by the fury of wind and hail” added Sicolo.
He echoes it Tommaso Loiodice, president of Unapol: “In a few minutes of hail, months and months of hard work vanished. The damage suffered by olive groves, vineyards and all other crops in progress was very serious. The flower growers' greenhouses were completely destroyed. Agriculture is of vital and essential importance for the local economy. I hope that institutions of all levels will do their part immediately."
Also the Coldiretti Puglia speaks of a "war bulletin", already accounting for between 20% and 80% patchy damage to production, with olive trees stripped of leaves and fruit, but also greenhouses torn down and landslides. “The fall of hail in the countryside – underlines the regional Coldiretti – is the most damaging due to the irreversible losses it causes to crops, ruining an entire year's work”.
The Region, in particular, is already involved the agriculture councilor Donato Pentassuglia, both for the request of natural disasters and to study the first measures to be taken to support the primary sector. Meanwhile, the Civil Protection has issued a new weather warning for today, valid throughout the regional territory.
