Almost 16 million euros to face the water crisis and to support the agricultural sector: this is the first anti-drought allocation from the Sicilian regionprovided for in the bill “Various financial provisions” approved yesterday, 18 April 2024, by the Regional Council and which will shortly be transmitted to the Sicilian Regional Assembly for discussion and approval.
As regards thedrought emergencythe bill prepared by the council led by the interim president and councilor for agriculture Renato Schifaniprovides for the establishment of a fund at the regional Department of Civil protection from 9 million euros for the immediate interventions following the declaration of a state of crisis, while the Government is awaiting the declaration of a national state of emergency.
Furthermore, approx 6.9 million euros they are instead expected to support the agricultural sector, and include 5.4 million in appropriations and lower revenues of 1.5 million. In Sicily, the drought is compromising the harvests and the alarm has been high in the countryside for months, even in those areas served by the irrigation service. But it is the one who suffers the most livestock sectorto whom the three measures launched by the Sicilian Regional Council yesterday are dedicated.
In particular, 5 million will be used for contributions to breeding companies for thepurchase of fodder and for thewater supply for animals, given that the usual pastures have been burned and the sources normally used are now dry.
Others 400 thousand euros of expenditure will cover the costs of laboratory tests and of veterinary expenses supported by farmers who practice cattle transhumance within the regional territory.
Finally, it is foreseen theexemption from the payment of the fee due for theuse of pastures of state forestry propertya measure that will result in less revenue for the Region 1.5 million of Euro.
This all happens while the level of Sicilian invasions as of March 2024 languishes at just under 300 million cubic meters, the worst figure since March 2010a level slightly lower than that of March 2018, according to the calculations of the national Anbi on data from the Sicilian Region Basin Authority.
