«The war at the gates of Europe has already entered Italian homes and farms. It is already producing concrete effects starting from the increase in energy costs and distortions in logistics which directly impact the competitiveness of the sector. This is why yesterday in Rome, today in Sicily and in all the competent prosecutor’s offices in Italy we present a complaint against speculation on agricultural diesel. A complaint that we also delivered to Minister Lollobrigida today during our demonstration.” This was stated by the general secretary of Coldiretti, Vincenzo Gesmundo, speaking in Palermo on the economic consequences of the international conflict on the agricultural sector. «The issue of logistics represents one of the great unresolved issues in Italian agriculture – adds Gesmundo – Spain, for example, is putting us in difficulty in the fruit and vegetable sector not because it produces better – Italian quality remains superior – but because it has invested heavily in logistics and distribution. If we do not address this issue seriously we will continue to lose competitiveness. Logistics affects diesel costs, product transportation, distribution and the final price. It is a strategic issue for the entire agricultural sector.”
Lollobrigida, “Mimit will check fuel price speculation. Working on solutions”
«The associations have reported the increases linked to the cost of fuel to the financial police and the competent ministry. Mimit is sending controls and checks to avoid any form of speculation. In fact, anyone who takes advantage of these situations to speculate must be hit without any kind of consideration.” This was said by the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Coldiretti Sicilia assembly in Palermo, regarding the complaint presented yesterday by the trade association in Rome and which will also be presented today, by the Sicilian farmers, in the prosecutor’s office in Palermo. «In these hours we are facing a very important national issue. With respect to this, the government is implementing all the useful recipes, also in coordination with the sector association, to be able to help our farmers. We remember that Italy is the only European nation to maintain the incentive of almost 1 billion for agricultural diesel, to enable our companies to continue producing and have costs that can guarantee the profitability of the company”, added the minister. «Our government today – he continued – is the one that, more than any other in history, has invested in agriculture. Almost one billion from Pnrr funds, which we have multiplied by three, compared to what was foreseen by previous governments, will arrive in Sicily, developing and making the agricultural sector increasingly resilient. We also intervene – added the minister – with support: with the latest tender, the one opened just yesterday, for example, there are 800 million for agriculture and there is the possibility for companies to reduce energy costs. There are already 24 thousand companies financed with the previous tender, the latter will add another 6 thousand companies, giving the possibility of producing green energy without using agricultural land but warehouses and infrastructures connected to the system companies”.
Codacons, on some motorways diesel served at over 2.6 euros per litre
Diesel in served mode has broken through the psychological threshold of 2.6 euros per liter in various motorway systems, while in almost all of Italy on the road network self-service diesel exceeds 2 euros per litre. Codacons reports this, based on the data communicated between yesterday and today by the managers at Mimit. On the A4 Milan-Brescia diesel reached 2.654 euros per liter (2.429 euros for petrol), on the A21 Turin-Piacenza 2.639 euros/litre (2.419 euros for petrol), on the A8/A26 branch 2.614 euros/litre, on the A13 Bologna-Padua 2.609 euros/litre – notes Codacons, an association that has been monitoring the performance of fuel at the pump – Numerous distributors located along the motorway network sell diesel to the served at prices well above 2.5 euros per litre. As regards diesel in self-service mode, in all Italian regions the average price has today exceeded the threshold of 2 euros per litre, with the exception of Umbria and Marche: the highest prices in Bolzano (2,040 euros/litre), in Calabria (2,031 euros/litre), Valle d’Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Sicily (2,030 euros/litre) – adds Codacons. Faced with these data, the government no longer has any excuses and must intervene today with the instrument of mobile excise duties, reducing them by at least 15 euro cents per litre, in order to avoid an economic catastrophe comparable to that caused by the Covid pandemic – concludes the association.