In Italy, several productions threatened by drought

A historic drought has been affecting northern Italy for several days.

Five regions were declared a state of emergency by the government in early July.

This drought is the worst the country has experienced in seventy years.

It could have serious consequences for the production of rice, tomatoes and olive oil, reports

“More than 30% of agricultural production and half of the farms in the Po Valley” would be threatened, explain the spokespersons of Coldiretti, the largest agricultural union in the country, in the columns of the

.

The Po Valley is "the homeland of Arborio rice used for risotto", they add.

The price of this product, like tomatoes from this region, could increase by more than 50% according to some importers.

It had already more than doubled since 2019.

Soon apricots, peaches, pears?

Olive oil production, meanwhile, could “be 20 to 30 percent lower than last year,” according to Kyle Holland, an analyst at market research group Mintec.

“The drop in production and, consequently, the limited supply of olive oil, is likely to cause prices to rise in the coming months,” he said.

Rates had already increased by 28% over the past two years.

This increase would also be generalized because other producing countries, such as Spain, are also affected by the drought.

The production of other products, such as apricots, peaches and pears, could also soon be impacted.

As a reminder, the current shortage of mustard is also linked to climatic conditions.

It is the result of drought-related crop failures in Canada.

The water stocks of the Pyrénées-Orientales dams are closely monitored

Planet

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• Drought

• Consumption

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