Minister Lollobrigida in Forlì: “Aid for flooded farmers”

“An important opportunity, which served to communicate the initiatives that the government is implementing in favor of the category, acting concretely with important interventions”. This was said by the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, participating in the meeting – yesterday in the town hall, in Forlì – between Commissioner Figliuolo and the farmers of the areas affected by the flood that brought Romagna to its knees last year. The undersecretary for infrastructure and transport, Galeazzo Bignami, and the mayor of Forlì, Gian Luca Zattini, also took part in the meeting. The latest intervention, to which the minister referred, is the one approved two days ago in the Agriculture Decree. “We have given breathing space to the companies that operate in the affected areas with a 68% decontribution – explained Lollobrigida –. We are talking about 130 million euros. A year later, a total of two billion resources have been allocated for the private sector. A figure that leaves no room for doubt: for us, attention has always remained keen.” During the meeting, ample space was left for the farmers’ words. “We wanted to put ourselves in a listening position – added Lollobrigida – because we want to demonstrate that our presence is not random, but constant and systematic. We travel on a ship in which the government is the helmsman, but the crew, fundamental, is made up of our precious entrepreneurship.” Overall, according to Minister Lollobrigida, “around the government’s work we can see a newfound enthusiasm on the part of the farmers. They know that we are at their side and they are honest and good people, eager to start again after the difficulties”. During the meeting, the trade associations (Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Cia, Copagri) said they were satisfied, while reiterating the need to have guarantees on the safety of the territories in which they operate. Among the hot topics, without a doubt, is the bureaucracy linked to the collection of funds. “As we often underline – Lollobrigida’s words -, the government cannot provide the money directly, but does so through the commissioner designated in agreement with the Region. Precisely for this reason it is right to keep the discussion with those directly interested alive and continuous, to understand together how to make procedures faster”.