Something very worrying is happening in the area. The mayors of Abruzzo are asking the Government for help against Peronospora.
In an unprecedented move, representatives of Abruzzo’s mayors and wine producers have raised an urgent appeal to the Region and the Italian Government, asking for concrete and substantial interventions to address the devastating wave of downy mildew that has hit the region’s wine sector hard. During a session of the third Agriculture Commission of the Region, five representatives of the 113 mayors of Abruzzo brought to light the serious situation affecting local winemakers.
The Abruzzo emergency case in Rome. Angelo Radica, mayor of Tollo and national president of the Città del Vino association, emphasized the need for immediate action by regional and national authorities. He urged the representatives of the Abruzzo Region to present the “emergency case” directly to Rome, requesting an allocation of at least 80 million euros to restore the damage caused by the fungal disease. The request also includes the exploration of further regional funds to be allocated to the sector in crisis.
Comparison with other government appropriations. Alessandro Nicodemi, president of the Consortium, highlighted how the Government had previously allocated 32 million euros to deal with the damage caused by the blue crab – an amount significantly lower than the actual damage estimated at 130 million – while to combat downy mildew, only 17 million euros were allocated against a damage estimated at around 1 billion. This discrepancy further underlines the urgency of reviewing the financial aid intended for the downy mildew emergency.
The importance of wine tourism
Fabio Caravaggio, mayor of Rocca San Giovanni, highlighted how many winemakers have integrated their agricultural activities with tourist proposals linked to wine tourism and experiential visits to wineries. This diversification makes the need to support the sector even more critical not only to safeguard wine production but also to protect the local economy based on food and wine tourism.
The response of the Abruzzo Region. Despite pressing requests from local administrators and wine producers, no concrete answers have been received from the regional authorities regarding the timing or amounts of the planned aid. Angelo Radica expressed frustration regarding the lack of commitment in urgently dealing with the Abruzzo “emergency case” on the part of the regional representatives present at the session. However, the approval of two sub-amendments was mentioned which provides for approximately 7 million euros already allocated in the regional budget intended both for the granting of subsidized loans and for non-repayable contributions to companies affected by the disaster.
The current situation highlights a desperate need for targeted and timely interventions by the Italian Government and Abruzzo regional institutions. The Abruzzo wine community is waiting for concrete responses that can offer immediate relief to the numerous companies seriously damaged by the spread of downy mildew.
