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The President of the Region, Schifani, calls for the declaration of a “red zone” in Sicily in the face of conditions of force majeure and exceptional circumstances linked to drought. The details.
Sicily is plagued by drought. The African cyclone that is raging, and others that will rage until October, are gathering clouds not of rain but of greater desertification. An alleged mafia boss, Gaetano Scavone, used the words at the maxi trial in Palermo when referring to something else.
And the “desert heat” is now in Sicily, with the reservoirs almost empty and the countryside exterminated and collapsing, as in Morocco and Algeria, so much so that the President of the Region, Renato Schifani, invokes that, like Morocco and Algeria, also the Sicily is declared a “red zone” by the national government and the European Parliament, recognizing conditions of force majeure and exceptional circumstances. The proposal of President Schifani, who currently, after the resignation of Luca Sammartino, is also interim Councilor for Agriculture, was approved by the regional council on the basis of documentation that testifies to the reduction of water resources in the reservoirs and a general context that places Sicily in the “red zone” due to water shortages like Morocco and Algeria. The disastrous condition has worsened over the last few weeks due to the unavailability of irrigation water in the reservoirs. In the agricultural and livestock sector, production is estimated to be down 50% on average in 2024 in the face of unlikely summer rains, and down 75% if, as is much more likely, it does not rain. Schifani underlines: “The state of natural disaster due to damage to agriculture was already declared on February 9th but the extremely serious situation we are facing requires us to take this further step to support our farms and livestock.” So the “red zone”: and what does it mean?
The “red zone”, i.e. the recognition of the condition of force majeure and exceptional circumstances from 1 July 2023 to May 2024, will allow agricultural and livestock businesses operating throughout the Sicilian territory to take advantage of exemptions in some areas of the common agricultural policy , which would allow us not to apply certain constraints to pastures and land, continue to benefit from aid, postpone payments, sanctions and charges”. In the meantime, vouchers will soon be provided to Sicilian farmers for the purchase of fodder for the animals. The measure to counter the effects of the drought, supported by Schifani, provides for an allocation of 10 million euros and obtained the favorable opinion of the third Productive Activities Commission at the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The green light in the Commission will now allow the regional Agriculture Department to complete the procedure and publish the notice through which farmers will be able to submit requests for participation. In conclusion, a banal and obvious reflection, which nevertheless testifies to a paradox: Sicily is an island surrounded by the sea, and it is incredible that it is dying due to thirst. Surround Sicily, the island, with a host of watermakers, first on board army ships, and then built from scratch or reactivated, as in Porto Empedocle.
Angelo Ruoppolo (Teleacras)
