There is everything in the crisis in agriculture due to the Asian bug: environment, damages for millions of euros, slowness of politics. The killer insect has brought the crops and orchards of all the Northern Regions to their knees, which have mobilized to avoid facing a spring horribilis. En masse they have asked for the declaration of a state of calamity, which, however, has not yet been seen. In the countryside, the environmental emergency is evident, but the economic losses for thousands of farms are even more so. Over 740 million euros the total calculated damage. From 180 million in Piedmont to over 160 in Veneto, from 32 in Lombardy to 270 in Emilia Romagna, to 40 in Friuli, up to 16 in Liguria.
Coldiretti goes on the attack (it is appropriate to say) of the species arrived from Asia, which has affected 48 thousand companies. The spread of bedbugs is certainly favored by climate change and there is a need to fight it in every way. Four hundred farmers, on the sidelines of the Verona agricultural fair, asked for adequate measures to curb the phenomenon. The 80 million euros already allocated by the government are considered a small thing with respect to the progressive deterioration of crops. The request to the government is of at least 300 million euros for the next three years. A heavy balance to restore confidence in farms and in the trading system. A battle with evident effects on the socio-economic stability of the territories. Who takes charge? These are times of search for consensus for the next regional elections. Meanwhile, farmers are asking to have insects that are enemies of the bedbug available on the market. A clear connection with environmental issues and the use of pesticides which must have a satisfactory synthesis.
At a national level – explains Coldiretti – the green light is awaited from the Ministry of the Environment which must issue the guidelines for the "samurai wasp": the natural enemy of the bedbug. Pears, apples, peaches, kiwis, apricots, corn and vegetables are the most affected products. The plant is attacked by the bug with holes and holes making it practically unusable. The entire ecosystem is compromised and laboratory analyzes have established a long time to reclaim fields and orchards. A supranational scenario is opening up to hope for EU aid in its ecological commitment. On the other hand, good coordination of European agricultural policy should not waste time. Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti, puts his hands forward: "Considering the seriousness of the situation, a discussion with the European institutions is essential, involving the EU both in terms of aid to damaged companies and border controls to counter the arrival of other harmful insects". In between, the proposal to block the import of fruit and vegetables treated abroad with pesticides banned in Italy. A game to be played on multiple tables, with an eye beyond the emergency which has only hurt Italian agriculture so far.
