“Decree Asset”: “on downy mildew a first response, but one million euros is not enough”

“With the Asset decree lay, the government gives a first, but small, response to the wine sector, wine grapes and table grapes, affected by downy mildew. In fact, the allocation of 1 million euros is a derisory quota to address from North to South Italy, a problem that, given the climatic instability and the relevance of the sector worldwide, is already an emergency”: thus Cia-Agricoltori Italiani commenting on the urgent measure for wine production, launched last night by the Council of Ministers, with the Omnibus package”.
For Cia - Agricoltori Italiani, which in any case recognizes in the executive’s action the effect of its solicitations, a major refinancing of the National Solidarity Fund will in fact be necessary, useful for securing the income of wineries. After all, the million euros allocated by the Asset decree will go, exclusively, to Ismea, to support damaged agricultural enterprises with an “interest account” contribution against bank loans of up to sixty months, incurred by the same to conduct business.
“The Italian vineyard is, literally, under attack from the grapevine fungal disease. The next harvest”, Cia/Agricoltori Italiani reports, “is compromised in strategic regions for national wine production, such as Sicily, Puglia, Basilicata and Campania; in trouble between Umbria and Tuscany; damaged along the Adriatic coast between Marche, Abruzzo and Molise. Patchy, losses are estimated at between 30 and 40%. Also suffering are Puglia and Sicily’s table grapes, which take the country among Europe's top producers, but are already counting damage over 40% of production and depending on the crop system used”.
“After the summer break, and with the hope that rain and heat will not continue to go crazy, we will have to go back to work immediately to find resources needed to compensate companies”, says Cia/Agricoltori Italiani President Cristiano Fini, “but also to accelerate the process of research, innovation and experimentation in the field, to help the sector in the fight against natural disasters, which are also represented, if it still needs to be emphasized, by plant and animal pest attacks”.