ROME – As much as 500 million euros worth of agricultural production in Italy is threatened by scorching heat, while floods in other parts of the world are damaging crops, a major agriculture organization warned Monday.
Particularly, Italy may have lost a third of its corn crop, the European Union’s third-biggest with a 10 million metric tons production, and half of its soybean harvest. Fruit, vegetables and vines have been hit hard too.
And damages go beyond agriculture, cows are producing 10 to 20 percent less milk, pigs are eating as much as 40 percent less than their usual 3.5 kilograms feed, resulting in a large decrease of growth, laying hens are producing fewer eggs and bees are unable to get pollen and nectar, putting honey production at risk, Coldiretti added.
Numbers that put in jeopardy the next year outcome of some of the Italian traditional product such as wine, prosciutto and cheese.
Donate