A hot air balloon with rainbow colors flew over the Sicily-based school D'Alcontres ground during a sports event called 'Il Calcio in pajamas' (Soccer in pajamas). Now in its fifth edition, the event of recreational-social value, coordinated by Prof. Pietro Genovese and supported by Academy Barcellona, was sponsored by Agrumi-Gel, a well-known Sicilian company specialized in the processing of citrus fruits and citrus products. It took place in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (ME), on 20 February 2023.
"We needed a social moment to sponsor our Sicilian blood orange juice during a charitable sports event. It is not a good moment for Sicilian citrus farming, which is reckoning with the latest cyclone that between 9 and 10 February 2023 resulted in two days and two nights of water and wind gusts over 100km per hour," says Pietro Genovese.
"The result," he continues, "is that we will have a shorter campaign than expected, with quite a lot of damaged product, which will not be harvested as there is also a lack of policy support for producers who have suffered huge losses in the campaign. At the moment there is still no technical table scheduled to concert the crisis. While waiting for the government to activate the recognition of the national emergency, the decision-making is incoherent, as it goes in different directions. Specifically, while in Syracuse the extent of the damage produced by the floods is verified, in the province of Catania (Lentini, Palagonia and Scordia) nothing is resolved. So the wait for a protocol that would provide economic support to producers and issue the go-ahead for the industry to withdraw citrus fruits damaged by the Mediterranean cyclone remains in vain."
In photo, Pietro Genovese
"This year," Pietro Genovese explains, "the sporting event 'Il Calcio in pigiama' was included in the program of the Carnevale Barcellonese. The event was attended by Salvatore Imbesi, director of Agrumi-Gel, who gladly treated young athletes and local families to a hot air balloon ride. The balloon flew over the area dedicated to the sports event, displaying Agrumi-Gel's tagline: 'Vola in alto con il succo siciliano' (Fly high with Sicilian juice). In addition, for the occasion, the children of the social project ‘Dopo di Noi Autistici’ presented a motor path made with the help of qualified technicians."
"The goal of the event is to include and overcome the barriers to communication, as only sports can do!"
The event, which was inaugurated by Father Fortunato De Luca's blessing, was attended by Councillors Angelita Pino and Roberto Molino, the Italian Red Cross, the President of the 'Dopo di Noi' project Claudio Passantino, the National Vice President of 'Cammino' Rita Ielasi, representatives of the FIGC of the Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto committee, and Miss Reginetta d'Italia Mascotte Ariel Morana.
For more information:
Agrumi-Gel S.r.l.
C.da Girotta
98051 - Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (ME)
(+39) +39 090 9707330
(+39) +39 329 354 0163
agrumigel@agrumigel.it
www.agrumigel.it
