Heavy rain and hail storms this week have had a serious impact on Italian agriculture, according to reports by farmers' association Coldiretti.
The most damaged crops include grapes, exotic fruits, soy, corn, and fodder for livestock.
The organisation said that for many farms, 'a whole year of work has been lost', and adds that for wine makers, in particular, hailstorms 'represent a disaster'.
Extreme Weather
Coldiretti underlined that Italy is facing an 'extreme event', after a long season of droughts and frosts, which could cost the industry up to €2 billion.
Last week, the organisation said that high temperatures and lack of rainfall were leading to a drop in production this summer across several crops, but has added that the recent wet weather will not help the situation as violent showers aggravate the already-damaged land.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Francesca Volpe. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
