Italian fruit and vegetable producers are once again on high alert after a period of unseasonably cold weather gripped the country in recent days.
According to agricultural organisation Coldiretti, a sudden drop in temperatures and even snowfall in some areas, threatens the development of several crops.
In a statement, it added that such events were becoming more common. “We’re dealing with the effects of climate change, which in Italy have manifested themselves as repeated seasonal anomalies and extreme events, with rapid shifts from drought to flood, short and intense rainfall, and an increased risk of late frosts.”
It added: “The effect on Italian agriculture over the past ten years has been severe, with damage worth €14bn due to freak weather.”
Heavy rains, snowfall and sub-zero temperatures were reported across a central swathe of the Italian peninsula, hitting Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo and Molise.
Compounding the problem is that fact that Italy has experienced a particularly mild winter, with those warm conditions bringing forward the development of field-grown produce which now appears to be at risk.
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