No grain or forage in Madonie, harvesters will remain idle.

A bit of rain, finally, but not in all the provinces of the Island, and so, while the mercury column, after a brief pause, is about to point back up, the land continues to burn with drought, so much so that for breeders and cereal farmers it confirms a game over: no wheat or fodder. To relaunch the Sos, this time, is the Cia Western Sicily, emphasizing that “these days of the first half of June should have been days of ferment, of preparations, of waiting”, and instead, between the reliefs and valleys of the Lower Madonie “the combine harvesters will remain still and silence will take the place of the laborious roar of the machinery, while the hope of a good price has already vanished, chased away by the certainty of a harvest equal to zero.”

Indeed, the fields of this area have been among the most affected by the water crisis, “with hundreds and hundreds of hectares, as far as the eye can see, almost completely barren. Even those dedicated to forage and natural pastures: a harsh blow also for livestock farming.” From the areas of Alimena and Bompietro, but more generally from the entire ridge, reminds the president of Cia Western Sicily, Camillo Pugliesi, “come some of the best Sicilian hard wheat, also organic, but the almost total absence of rain has prevailed. This year there is no harvest, on the other hand, there are all the expenses incurred by the producers. Expenses, among other things, have skyrocketed compared to previous years. No one can afford not to cash in a euro after having paid thousands: an immediate support intervention is needed, because there is a serious risk of closure of many companies and loss of a very rich cereal and livestock heritage.”

A comprehensive report by Andrea D’Orazio in today’s edition of Giornale di Sicilia