Various videos published on the social media over the weekend by growers - especially cherry growers - who have resorted to drastic measures because of the ongoing economic losses have become viral in just a few hours.
Cherries are no longer sold to wholesalers and traders, they are instead used to feed livestock. This is what happened in the Andria countryside, where heaps of cherries were unloaded on the ground to be given to pigs.
Another video shows the fruits being left on the ground to rot. Cherry prices are too low for producers, so much so that it is not even worth harvesting them.
Some are supporting producers through this crisis, while others are suggesting donating the fruit to non-profit organizations and families in need or inviting people to pick their cherries directly from the trees to avoid waste.
Over the past few days, these gestures have multiplied all over Apulia, leading to a debate on a more sustainable cherry production for the future.