A ghostly landscape, with the countryside and rural roads whitened by ice grains the size of bullets. The wave of bad weather that hit Calabria in the last few hours has presented the Alto Jonio Cosentino with its heaviest bill, striking at the heart of its most precious treasure: excellent agriculture.
Mayor Ranù: “State of calamity immediately”
The Municipality of Rocca Imperiale wasted no time. Mayor Giuseppe Ranù, visibly worried, announced the immediate activation of the procedures for requesting a state of natural disaster. “At this moment it is essential to be close to our farmers,” said Ranù. “We must identify structural measures with the Region: from financing for anti-hail networks to strengthening insurance instruments. We cannot leave companies alone in the face of increasingly extreme climate events.”
Agriculture on its knees: the damage
What emerges from the reports by Coldiretti and Cia Calabria Nord is a truly desolate picture, almost a war bulletin for the countryside. The hail not only hit hard, it literally lashed the famous PGI lemon groves, tearing the flowers off the plants. It is a very hard blow because we are not just talking about this year’s production, which is now seriously compromised: the real risk is that the wounds inflicted on the vegetation will drag on the damage until the next harvest. Things are no better for the apricot orchards and other citrus groves in the area, where the fury of the ice has destroyed even the protective structures, such as nets and shade cloths, leaving the plants defenseless. In addition to the direct damage to crops, with fruit falling to the ground and broken branches, the maintenance of the territory is also a concern. The rivers that descend from the Pollino towards the Ionian are full of water and mud, while in the Crotone area the situation is mirrored: expanses of watermelons, fennel and beans have ended up completely submerged by the floods, transforming the vegetable gardens into real lakes.
The chorus of trade associations
The agricultural trade union world presents a common front. Luca Pignataro, president of Cia Calabria Nord, expressed profound solidarity with the entrepreneurs: “We are faced with an event that brings an entire territory to its knees. We thank the Administration for its timeliness in activating regional checks”. Coldiretti Calabria’s position is tough. The director Francesco Cosentini speaks of “very heavy damage” which weakens the plants in the long term, while the regional president Franco Aceto issues a warning to the institutions: “An immediate response is needed. These events are no longer extraordinary, but a tragic frequency that requires a new land management strategy”.