Immediately an Olive Plan and an anti-Xylella Commissioner

A new National Olive Plan which starts from Puglia; the appointment of a Special Commissioner with powers and resources to deal with tragedy Xylella; the union of the two currently existing into one Interprofessional organization of the sector. These are just some of the commitments made in Bitonto, since MASAF undersecretary Giacomo La Pietra and by the deputy Mark Cerreto (Agriculture Commission of the Chamber) in front of olive growers and millers from all over Puglia summoned by Cia-Italian Farmers of Apulia and Olive-growing Italy. At the center of the discussion, moderated by Deputy Vice President Cia Puglia Giannicola D'Amico and chaired by Gennaro Sicolo leader of Italia Olivicola and regional president of Cia Puglia, above all the problems relating to Xylella and the free-falling profitability for the sector.
“In the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto – Undersecretary La Pietra said about the effects of the bacterium -, I found one dramatic situation. We can no longer speak of an emergency, it's been 10 years, the Xylella problem needs to be solved structurally. The Government must intervene - added La Pietra -, I make your request for the appointment of an Extraordinary Commissioner my own. I will speak to Minister Lollobrigida as soon as I return to Rome and I hope to be able to give you answers as soon as possible. The problem is not only with resources, but also with how they are used”.
Marco Cerreto, member of the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, anticipated the will to hinge – precisely in the Commission – a fact-finding investigation on the current situation inherent to Xylella, on the difficulties of progressing actions, refreshments and funds foreseen and allocated in the scope of the Olive Regeneration Plan.
The conference was opened by greetings from Benedetto Fracchiolla, president of Finoliva Global Service Spa, absolute excellence in the oil sector whose factories hosted the initiative.
At the opening, Giannicola D'Amico, vice president of Cia Puglia, recalled how the organization has always had faith “in science, not in science fiction. We have said it from the beginning that Xylella would not wait for the times of politics, justice and bureaucracy”. The two authoritative representatives of the Government and Parliament met with Elia Pellegrino, president of the Italian Association of Oil Mills; Tommaso Loiodice, president of the National Union of Olive Producers Association; Gino Canino, vice president of Italia Olivicola. They met the olive growers of 5 of the most important olive producer organizations: Olive groves Terra di Bari, APO Foggia, Terre di Ulivi, Assoproli and Aproli Bari. Olive entrepreneurs from Lecce, Brindisi, Taranto, Bat, Foggia and Bari were present.
“Today Puglia represents 60% of the Italian production of extra virgin olive oil, but this extraordinary production quantity and quality does not correspond to an equal weight on the national and international tables in which the governance of the olive sector resides – explained the leader of Italia Olivicola and president of Cia Puglia Gennaro Sicolo-. We need to change this state of affairs and in Undersecretary La Pietra and Minister Lollobrigida we have found attentive interlocutors in this sense. We appreciate the willingness shown by Undersecretary La Pietra – added Sicolo -, the commitments undertaken in Bitonto, in front of all olive-growing Puglia, can and must be the beginning of a turning point. What happened in southern Puglia is frightening, in 10 years it has passed from an area of ​​25 thousand hectares affected by the bacterium ai current 750 thousand hectares, with 22 million olive trees completely 'burned' by Xylella, which advances 10 kilometers a year. Either we manage to stop it or we will see our olive growing and, with it, an entire economy wipe out. The second hypothesis is not acceptable -Sicolo continued-, for this reason a turning point is needed, and it is necessary to activate it immediately, with concrete actions and a decisive acceleration. If we let some more time pass, we will no longer have an olive sector".