Few, very few and for some zero money for climate change damage in Romagna. Yet a climatic event unprecedented in history has struck. The flood recorded an intensity never seen before. Words of climatologists. Major damage to agriculture remains on the ground. The most affected sector. Yet only a few cents have reached the Romagna farms waiting for the much-promised refreshments compensate for the losses, resist and start investing in the fields destroyed by the water, but also by the tornado of the following July which sent many warehouses flying into the air. The outburst with the attached request for help is signed by Annamaria Minguzzi of Alfonsine, a well-known agricultural entrepreneur from Romagna.
The numbers of extreme events
To understand the phenomenon, we report some numbers of extreme events in Romagna: 23 rivers flooded at the same timefor a flood volume estimated at approximately 350 million cubic meters, flooding in the plains over approximately 540 square kilometers and well 65,598 landslides. Yet little is known about what is being done in concrete terms to support agriculture, which has been brought to its knees, as he tells myfruit.it Anna Maria Minguzzi.
The entrepreneur starts from product losses. “The latest climate events have led to the loss of 80% of stone fruit and 90% of pears. The May flood is the best known event where fruit is lost associated with the destruction of plants and damage to land. Less media coverage but no less burdensome for company budgets the tornado of July 2nd which affected 40 square kilometers of the province of Ravenna. In the heart of national fruit growing. It was the most catastrophic event: it took away hundreds and hundreds of warehouses. Even new structures, often with photovoltaics on the roofs. Even the fruit fell, the plants collapsed, the poles bent. A truly devastated territory.” Without forgetting the damage caused by frost.
Lots of damage, little help
What happened in the face of this damage? “Both the State and the Emilia Romagna Region have taken action. We have seen it, but we are still waiting for the promised money.
The applications we submitted for tornado compensation have yet to be reviewed. Yet the plants to be rebuilt are those that must ensure the production necessary to have the money here pay the mortgages and loans already activated before these climatic events”.
Let’s start with the State that appointed General Figliuolo, great political controversy at the time for not having appointed the President of the Region as for the earthquake, who therefore has the biggest purse strings. Even today in a demonstration in Cesena, President Bonaccini recalled the “9 billion in damages”. Important numbers.
On the government front, through Commissioner Minguzzi, he underlines: “There are two ordinances, 11 and 14, one dedicated to productive activities and the other to private individuals. But they still make changes so nothing is certain yet. For example, I also do appraisals because I am an agronomist, and in this situation, given that there is a need, I am available. But I haven’t moved yet because I don’t know what else to go and certify”. To be clearer: “It seemed that company costs, for example labor, were not to be included, now they can be reported.” Clearly we are still in the early stages.
Agricat: the rankings are there, the dates are missing
Another chapter concerns non-repayable loans, those relating toAgricat, a solidarity fund that goes to help the farmer who has had his production destroyed. As stated on the Ministry of Agriculture website: “From 2023 the introduction into the system of risk management in agriculture of basic mutual coverage, extended to all agricultural companies receiving direct payments, against damage to agricultural production caused by catastrophic weather events (frost and frost, drought, flood)”.
How is it going? “The applications were compiled and then presented by the associations, therefore Coldiretti rather than Cia or Farmers Union. The request is based on the hectares of each individual farm. There’s still nothing. Practices from about 60 days ago and this situation makes farmers angry, that is, there are lists with the name of the companies and the amounts they will have to receive, but without a certain date. A loan managed by Ismea, but there is no response to our officials’ requests regarding the terms”.
Debts are growing
Meanwhile, companies have fallen into debt. “They didn’t meet the mortgage deadlines, they didn’t meet the bill payment deadlines. The only thing they must try to respect is the payment of salaries. Right now, farms are anticipating all their expenses for 2024 production. Companies like ours have more than 100 collaborators, at the end of the month that’s 100 salaries.”
I mean, you didn’t take anything? “Just a small amount. But it’s not enough. We must also have answers about PSR resources managed by the Region. I, as a farmer, need to know if I can rebuild my system? Today I should buy the plants, I should buy the poles, I should buy everything I need, but the answer can’t come in November.” It takes time to organize.
But the Figliuolo ordinance? “There are farms on the hills that no longer exist because they have collapsed. One can no longer find the land, perhaps it ended up on a neighbor’s. So there is all the land reconstruction and the ordinance is needed. But he is still preparing.” We checked. On March 22, Ansa wrote: “The requests from the flooded areas of Emilia Romagna have been accepted and will be included in a future ordinance which integrates the previous ordinances and which will be released after Easter.”
But the structure is also missing: “The problem of staff recruitment remains: out of 216 possible temporary hires, only around forty technicians and officials were made. We will do a bit of a synthesis to propose forms other than that of scrolling the ranking.” Figliuolo’s words are not very heartening. Also because most of the resources are in the hands of the State. And they do not reach the territories as the Ravenna cooperatives reported in January. With the paradox that the money from the Ministry of Tourism arrived first, for agritourism, than that from Agriculture.
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