Vegetables, fruit and olive oil: heat and drought are bringing agriculture to its knees. Milk down 10 per cent

However, three key sectors of the Italian agri-food industry – fruit and vegetables, wine and olive oil – are facing serious difficulties. These three sectors account for a turnover of over 35 billion euros out of the 73 billion euros representing the total value of Italian agriculture.

There is a real crisis in the fruit and vegetable sector, where, despite falls in production, the prices paid to farmers are also dropping: ranging from a 17 per cent fall for pears to an 18 per cent fall for peaches and nectarines. This is an unsustainable situation for producers: according to Coldiretti, between 2010 and 2020, Italia lost 38,000 hectares of fruit orchards and 50,000 hectares of vegetable fields.

They can be described as the two ‘sick giants’ of Italian agriculture. These are two key sectors (with turnover of 5.8 billion for olive oil and 14 for wine, respectively) which find themselves having to cope with a significantly early harvest whilst simultaneously facing high levels of stock.

The wine sector, where the grape harvest has already begun, faces the situation that the new harvest will arrive at wineries that are already holding high levels of unsold stock (46.6 million hectolitres in June, up 6.7 per cent). Many, however, fear that this oversupply will trigger a wave of price falls.

In this regard, Coldiretti, following extensive consultation with its winegrowers, has proposed a national strategic plan to the sector. This plan focuses on a major revival of promotional activities, particularly abroad, to stimulate sluggish consumption, and on measures to curb production: from a freeze on new authorisations to yield restrictions. ‘It is essential, however,’ Coldiretti explained, ‘that production cuts are not made across the board but in a targeted manner, guided by market data when deciding which areas to intervene in.’

The streamlining of red tape and tax incentives for investment in innovation will also be crucial to boosting business profitability.

The situation is similar for olive oil, for which – as with wine – the harvest is expected to begin much earlier than usual, possibly as early as mid-September. Another similarity with wine is the presence of high stock levels, with figures suggesting a quantity in excess of 250,000 tonnes, 121,000 of which is extra virgin olive oil. “We have asked Minister Lollobrigida,” said Coldiretti’s vice-president, David Granieri, yesterday, “to issue an urgent call for tenders for 100 per cent Italian extra virgin olive oil to be distributed to the needy, thereby reducing stock levels. In this way, we can turn a commercial crisis into a significant act of solidarity.”

Two other sectors facing serious difficulties are beekeeping and mushroom farming. “High temperatures and drought,” Coldiretti reported, “have shortened the flowering season and reduced the availability of nectar for bees. The situation is particularly serious in Sardinia, where the extreme heat has led to the loss of hundreds of beehives.”

The water shortage is ultimately casting a shadow over the mushroom season. ‘The mycelium – the underground network from which mushrooms develop,’ reads a statement from Coldiretti and Federforeste, ‘requires constant moisture in the soil and a balance between mild days and cool nights. These conditions have been rare this year. This is why, in the Alps and the Apennines, mushroom hunters are finding unusually dry undergrowth and a significantly lower than average number of porcini mushrooms.”