The agricultural losses caused by floods in Italy are extremely heavy.

Emilia-Romagna suffers another flood, causing severe damage to agriculture

 

The agricultural losses caused by floods in Italy are extremely heavy.

 

Emilia-Romagna suffers another flood, causing severe damage to agriculture

 

September 20, 2024 - François-Xavier Branthôme

 

Following severe flooding in May 2023, Emilia-Romagna has been hit hard by flooding again, flooding cities and farmland. The worst affected areas are again in the province of Ravenna, followed by Foley and parts of Cesena. For horticultural crops, flooding could prevent access to fields for harvesting, leading to the loss of produce.

 

Emilia-Romagna flooded again: severe damage due to a red alert for severe weather. After Hurricane "Boris" hit Central and Eastern Europe, it affected several regions of Emilia-Romagna, including fruit and vegetable growing areas. After severe flooding last May, the region was once again hit by river flooding, landslides and days of torrential rains. One of the worst-hit towns was Modigliana in the province of Fly-Cesena, where flooding of the Tramazzo Creek was a concern, while in Castellbolonese (Ravenna), the Seño River flooded, the Marzeno River invaded Faenza, and the Ramon River also caused flooding locally. In addition, the situation in the Bologna region is also very serious.

 

More than 1,000 people have been evacuated throughout Emilia-Romagna province.

 

 

** Continued red alert until Friday, September 20 **

 

"The situation is constantly changing, but the red alert issued by the Emilia-Romagna region and the civil protection department (valid until midnight on September 20) does not give us peace of mind," said Davide Venturi, president of the Bologna Agricultural Federation. "In addition to flooded fields, they will be flooded for days even after the bad weather ends, and there is a risk of landslides and mudslides in mountainous and hilly areas."

 

Matteo Brunelli, vice-president of the agricultural federation of Forli-Cesena-Rimini and chairperson of the advisory council of Cesena, noted that "the greatest losses are now concentrated in the northeastern region of Cesena, extending towards the plains of Cesenatico and Basolubicone and covering the countryside of San Mauro Pascoli and Savignano."

 

Soybeans, tomatoes, and sugar beets are most at risk.

 

"Soybean, tomato and sugar beet crops are likely to suffer the most", Venturi continued. "90% of soybeans are still unharvested and may be at risk of a significant reduction in production. Tomatoes are not yielding well due to excessive heat and cannot be harvested due to muddy ground, which will further affect the quality of their harvest. Beets that have not yet been harvested are highly likely to experience a decrease in polarization, which will directly affect product quality and producers' income." In addition, the soil is difficult to treat due to heavy rain, which may delay the next round of planting. While the current weather is hindering the harvest, harvesting will resume quickly once conditions are right.

 

Alberto Mazzoni, vice-president of the Fly-Cesena-Rimini Agricultural Federation and chairperson of the Fly Council, noted that "these rains have exposed the vulnerability of the region: in the Fly region, more than 150 millimeters of rain have fallen in the past 24 hours, and canals in places like Vilagrappa have overflowed, causing flooding of roads and fields."

 

"The situation in some of the affected areas is very serious."

 

"In Romagna, the situation is sad, like a throwback to the past. The towns of Cotiniola, Banyacavallo, Forli and Faenza are once again in crisis, and the Montone River is flooding again. Much of the restoration work that has just been completed needs to be redone, and there are huge losses to crops and next year's production, especially beets and processed tomatoes that are still being harvested. In short, it has been another unforgettable year," commented Stefano Francia, president of the Emilia-Romagna branch of the Italian Farmers' Association.

 

Industry associations also expressed concern about the current situation. Cordiretti Emilia-Romagna reported large areas of flooded arable land and orchards, and many mountain roads were blocked by landslides.

 

The Cordiretti Foley-Cesena chapter has been closely monitoring the severe weather conditions since Wednesday, which have caused tremendous inconvenience to areas already devastated by flooding in 2023 and caused further damage in previously unaffected areas.

 

** The Montone River bursts its banks **

 

"The Montone river broke its banks again in Forli, at the same point as in 2023," said Massimiliano Benabini, president of Cordiretti Forli-Cesena. "The intensity of the flood caused extremely serious damage to the surrounding farmland and farms, including farmland, warehouses, equipment and rural buildings were flooded, and the water level was as high as 80 to 100 centimeters. The farmland, equipment and buildings of agricultural enterprises were all affected to varying degrees. We have started monitoring and support operations in the countryside, and soon we will have a clearer picture of the damage."

 

Flooding is no longer the "exception" and must be managed through the implementation of extensive structural plans in order to quickly respond to situations that have a catastrophic impact on communities and businesses. The Agricultural Federation says there is an urgent need for feasibility studies of natural and artificial water systems. Meanwhile, the Agricultural Federation's technical staff are constantly monitoring the hard-hit areas through detailed surveys to assess the losses of agribusinesses. The industry has been severely affected: vineyards and orchards have been flooded, unharvested fruits (grapes, pears, apples, kiwis) have faced losses, and vegetables in the fields have been flooded, especially late-ripening processed tomatoes and beets.

 

The association reminds that Emilia-Romagna is the second largest fruit and vegetable producing region in Italy, with 180,000 hectares under cultivation and 15% of the national total. In terms of grape production, the region ranks third in the country (7.97 million tons) and second in the production of grapes used to make table wines. The region produces 1.80 million tons of processed tomatoes, accounting for 5.50 million tons of the national total. In addition, today's Emilia sugar beet region is the main source of sugar production in Italy.

 

"It is too early to estimate the damage," said Giancarlo Minguzi, chairperson of Fruitimprese Emilia-Romagna. "To be sure, the tomatoes left on the plants will have to be discarded. A more accurate assessment will be made in a few days. However, the timing of this flood is less productive than the May 2023 flood. But for now we can only pray that the weather improves soon."