Italian basil has been seriously damaged by hailstones the size of ping pong balls and torrential rain in Genoa. Up to 80 per cent of the crop has been lost.
The extreme weather shattered dozens of glasshouses on the Podesta plain and will significantly reduce export potential for the next six months.
Volunteers from the civil protection squad in Genoa have been called in to help clear the site.
Italian growers said that production will not return to normal until March 2007 as the second cycle of basil, due to be seeded in September, will also be badly affected.
The cost of the incident has been valued at £2.7 million.
The regional authority of Liguria is asking for financial assistance.
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