A compensation fund for cereal companies in the areas most affected by drought. This is what was requested by Confagricoltura Foggia, which underlines how the 2024 cereal campaign in Puglia was marked by a severe drought and anomalously unseasonal heat. This has led to a high quality of wheat in the Foggia area, both along the coast and in the inland mountain areas, but to decidedly low yields per hectare. Farmers are very worried about the economic balance of their companies.
Confagricoltura Foggia highlights the strategic importance of the grain economy for the territory and, to protect one of the symbolic products of the Capitanata, has requested at a national level the recognition of a relief fund for the areas affected by drought. Furthermore, it is implementing interventions to enhance and typify the local product, with the aim of optimizing the economic yield of the grain along the supply chain.
There is concern about the insufficiency of product for national needs, which could lead to an increase in wheat imports from other countries. This excess, if not managed properly, could negatively affect the listings of local commodity exchanges. Only the ability of producers to create a critical mass to influence supply and demand in determining prices can help local companies in the medium to long term.
Filippo Schiavone, president of Confagricoltura Foggia and member of the national council of Confagricoltura, states that “it is necessary to avoid an excessive supply of product in the coming weeks. Only the input regulated according to the real needs of the supply chain can help determine an adequate price for the quality of the local product”.
Confagricoltura Foggia invites producers to deliver the wheat to product organizations or farmers’ cooperatives. “It is fundamental – concludes Schiavone – to adopt an entrepreneurial logic that favors systemic policies capable of valorising the work of cereal growers”.
Askanews.it reports it
