Xylella, Italia Olivicola: "Science is the only way, but it must be supported"

«To win against the Xylella the only way is support science, no ifs and buts, we of Italy Olive growing We've always supported that." This is the comment of Gennaro Sicolo, president of Italia Olivicola, on the sidelines of the event at the Polytechnic of Bari for the centenary of the Cnr, the National Research Council.
"The Cnr, The same Polytechnic of Bari andUniversity of Salento research is continuing, progress has been made, but the work of the researchers must be supported concretely, and this is what we expect from the Government. We have fought hard over the past few years to get the 300 million which finance the Olive Regeneration Plan against Xylella, those funds are arriving after years but they do it too slowly, and this gigantic slowness determined by bureaucracy is exhausting the olive growers and millers of the areas affected by the bacterium. A change in terms of times and methods is needed ».
He continued «Research, felling and replanting – together with good preventive practices for the containment of the spread – they are the main road, but if the resources arrive too slowly, the fight against the so-called spittoon becomes a fight against windmills».
Italy Olive growinghas once again asked that the Plan be unblocked through the government appointment of a Extraordinary Commissioner for the fight against Xylella with immediacy of powers. The obstacles of a slow and cumbersome bureaucratic machine, 10 years after the beginning of the spread of the bacterium and its devastating effects on the territory, risk completely eliminating the olive production chain in Salento and in the other affected areas. At risk, with the further advance of the bacterium, is all of Puglia.