Reports from Sicily suggest recent storms, which brought hail, torrential rain and 100km/h gusts of wind to the Italian province, have caused huge damage to citrus production in the east of the island.
According to La Repubblica, the adverse conditions were unprecedented in their severity and led to 'serious damage' to oranges which were ready for harvesting, as well as to flowering trees which would have produced fruit later in the season.
Between Syracuse and Catania, a key production region for Sicily's distinctive red-fleshed oranges, citrus groves were completely flooded, reported TM News.
The apparently devastating impact of the storms adds to already major disappointment among growers in Sicily, who have faced a difficult campaign blighted by a transport strike at the start of the current season, cold conditions in January and a market affected by dampened consumer confidence and reduced spending power.
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