barges and bulldozers to save the country

by our correspondent

CONSELICE The usual “chocolate factory” doesn’t really feel right when you see the “city” of Unigrà between Conselice and the hamlet of Lavezzola (Ravenna) flooded like the center of the town by two meters of muddy water: an apocalyptic devastation in the largest refinery in southern Europe, fifth in the world, of vegetable oil and fats: 500 thousand tons a year. Under the mud 60 hectares of state-of-the-art plant, including the 60-megawatt bioelectric plant, one billion and 200 million in annual turnover of which 40% thanks to worldwide exports because sweets, bread, ice creams; 800 employees here, another 1500 in related industries, among the most important suppliers of Ferrero, Barilla and Unilever. The “fruit valley” of Romagna also includes giants like this which, however, is not now in first place in the thoughts of the Martini family, the founder Luciano and his sons Gian Maria (CEO) and Oliver. First we need to secure Conselice and the homes of its 5,000 inhabitants, we need to keep Lavezzola dry, whose 3,000 residents have also been displaced and are following the finally consistent flow of water with their hearts in their throats.

At their expense, the Martinis rented 100-ton barges and bulldozers, bought large sacks to fill with soil and sheet piles (metal barriers) to repair broken embankments and then water pumps and generators. “We must first save the community – say Gian Maria and Oliver – then we will think about the company, above all we will think about how to start again by helping the families of the employees who are largely away from home”. Among the over 100 dewatering pumps in constant action here on the banks of the canals there are also those bought, always out of pocket, by other companies in the area such as the Golfera (Golfetta) salami factory, Surgital (fresh frozen pasta for thousands of restaurants), Facchini (European leader in mowing machines), or another 600 jobs. «And look – the Martinis still say – that none of those who rushed us to supply these large machines wanted to be paid in advance. Now let’s think about drying the fields and then the company. And let’s hope that the politicians who administer the region and the territory take their share of responsibility for this catastrophe. And that being an environmentalist no longer means defending animals and green policies that have contributed to increasing the damage caused by this flood”.

Paolo Ricci Bitti

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