”The situation in the fields and farms of Basilicata is dramatic due to the drought. The lack of rain and the lack of water infrastructure is causing havoc on crops and animals, with harvests practically eliminated. Even farmers give up threshing”. Coldiretti has raised the alarm on cereal cultivation Basilicata. According to the agricultural organization, in the province of Power damage to cereal crops, starting from wheat, reaches up to 90%, as well as for fodder and legumes.
”Many growers have made the painful decision not to thresh because it would only generate additional costs“, underlined Coldiretti, also reporting the “suffering” for livestock farming and spring/summer crops, especially with regards to the planning of transplants of tomato plants and the sowing of vegetables. As for the Matera area, “the exceptional drought has seriously compromised wheat and fodder production, resulting in serious damage to livestock” and it’s “the loss of olive production in the hilly areas is also significant”. Drought has the consequence of reducing water supplies in Lucanian dams, with an availability that “is much lower than last year and the result is a serious water emergency which makes the management of fruit and vegetable production extremely difficult, especially in the Metaponto plain”.
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