After the go-ahead of the Conferenza Stato-Regioni, the Minister for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida announced that Masaf is ready to allocate €12 million for the pear and kiwifruit chains to counter the economic consequences caused by weather and natural events such as drought, hail and plant diseases.
"The aid will be granted to businesses working in these two sectors that have seen an at least 30% decrease in the value of their production in 2023 compared to the previous year, net of other subsidies or insurance compensation. The amounts granted reach a maximum of €1,100 per hectare for pears and up to €1,000 per hectare for kiwifruits within the limits of the resources available. The ceiling is given by the value of the decrease registered. Applications must be made via Agra, which will provide instructions after the Minister signs the decree."
"The decree comes after a dialogue with sector representatives, whom I met during the table convened at Masaf. Starting from their requests, we drafted this important instrument, which I will soon sign so that applications can be processed soon," stressed Minister Lollobrigida.
The comment of the President of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Ferrara
The pear campaign is the most difficult ever. "The funds the government is about to allocate, announced during the Table held at Masaf on October 24th, are clearly insufficient to cover the losses. We are talking about drops in production of up to 80%, which translate into an average drop in gross saleable production of around €14,000 per hectare. This means that at least €100 million would be needed to compensate producers, i.e. around ten times the figure discussed."
Stefano Calderoni, president of Cia-Ferrara (Photo: Ufficio stampa Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Ferrara)
"We then need to understand how the funds will be distributed along the chains and the timeframe, as producers urgently need liquidity. As an association, we hope and believe this will be just a first tranche, which may be integrated when the Stability Law will be approved, otherwise we risk losing entire chains, not just the pear one, as multiple crops registered drops."
"Not only the agricultural heritage, but also the food safety and the health of people is at risk, as we import fruits and vegetables produced according to different phytosanitary regulations. The trend and well-being of the pear sector do not concern only producers, but rather they are a shared collective problem," concluded Calderoni.