BOSNASCO From the plains to the hills, the entire province of Pavia has been hit by the bad weather of recent days. “And the effects for agriculture – reports Coldiretti Pavia – risk being serious, also given the delicate period in which many crops are currently found”.
“In recent days – explains Coldiretti Pavia – there have been hailstorms, water bombs and patchy windstorms throughout the Pavia area. The disturbance hit in particular some municipalities in the flat part of the Oltrepò Pavese: among the most affected places are the territories of Arena Po, Portalbera and Bosnasco: here the cultivations of barley and wheat were affected. “Our technicians are working to estimate the damage – explains Coldiretti Pavia – The assessments are still underway, we will soon have a more precise picture of the situation”.
Damage from flooding has also been recorded in the lowland area on this side of the Po, where there are entire plots of corn to be reseeded and fields of cereals ruined by the excess rain of recent days. Hailstorms and strong winds, according to monitoring by Coldiretti Pavia, were also recorded on Wednesday in the municipalities of Corteolona, Cura Carpignano, Villanterio and Belgioioso.
“Going up the hill, however, in the evening between Wednesday and Thursday the hail hit the upper Staffora Valley, hitting in particular – according to monitoring by Coldiretti Pavia – in the area between Sant’Albano, Valverde and Zavattarello. Cereals and alfalfa were also damaged here. However, the orchards, which was initially feared, seem to have been saved. Yesterday afternoon ice and water storms hit the vineyards also in Oltrepò Pavese: Coldiretti technicians are working to collect the first reports of damage, which are starting to arrive in these hours from the municipalities of Canevino, Oliva Gessi, Montalto Pavese, Borgo Priolo and Borgoratto Mormorolo”.
“In this period of the season, with the plants in full bloom and the first fruits in the field, hail is the event most feared by agricultural entrepreneurs due to the loss of the entire harvest after a year of work – explains Silvia Garavaglia, President of Coldiretti Pavia – At the moment it is too early to have precise data on the damage, because the assessments are underway right now: we will be able to provide a more precise picture of the situation in the next few days”. Certainly, according to Coldiretti’s monitoring, there are over 70 extreme events including cloudbursts, water bombs, hailstorms and windstorms that have broken out in Lombardy in the last week alone.
“The latest episodes of cloudbursts and hailstorms – comments Coldiretti Pavia – add new damage to the critical issues already reported in recent days which, to varying degrees, involve practically the entire provincial territory: haywire sowing, blocked tomato transplants, danger of asphyxiation from barley and wheat, plants that are more fragile when faced with attacks by fungi and parasites. In many cases – underlines Coldiretti Pavia – it is impossible for farmers to enter the field and proceed with seasonal work”.
“In the face of these extreme climatic events – underlines the President of Coldiretti Pavia – it is necessary to guarantee greater flexibility to agricultural companies, which must be able to benefit from exemptions in the face of these unpredictable seasonal shifts”.
“Agriculture – concludes Coldiretti Pavia – is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis with the damage caused by drought and bad weather which in Italy in 2023 exceeded 6 billion euros. It is also necessary to strengthen the insurance activity, which must be able to give immediate answers to farmers damaged by a crazy climate – underlines Silvia Garavaglia – And we must also strongly insist on the path of research, in particular with regards to the Techniques of Assisted Evolution (TEA), capable of guaranteeing farmers varieties that are more resistant to climate change”.
“Furthermore, we must also consider that if we had had the reservoirs proposed for years by Coldiretti we would have been able to store at least part of the water that fell in this period – finally adds the President of Coldiretti Pavia – Water which instead, in addition to causing immediate damage, it will be lost and will not be needed in the future.”
