Italy’s farmers fret as intense rains swamp fields

By Michele Novaga

MILAN, Italy (AA) - In May, northern Italy was battered by heavy rain and storms that left many parts under water, and the lingering effects of the deluge are still being felt in some critical areas.

Official records show 321 millimeters of water fell in Milan, an increase of 234% compared to the average for May over the past 30 years, which was about 96 millimeters.

Milan is the capital of Lombardy, Italy’s leading agribusiness region, and the inclement weather has taken a serious toll on agriculture in the northern Italian region.

Major disruptions have been reported in the normal harvest cycle, particularly the sowing of grains such as maize, soya, and rice.

In Lombardy, about one-third of all fields normally used for the first harvest of maize have yet to be sown, according to a study by Coldiretti, the biggest organization of farmers in Italy.

“Under normal conditions, the sowing of first-crop maize in Lombardy starts in the last ten days of March,” the group said.

“This means that, to date, in many areas of the region there has been a delay of two months on the traditional work schedule. Even those farmers who have already sown are now having to reckon with the need to repeat operations.”

Vincenzo Villa, a 59-year-old farmer from Poasco, an agricultural suburb a few kilometers from the center of Milan, who dedicates a third of his 60 hectares (148 acres) of land to maize, is feeling the pressure.

“The maize has not yet been sown because the fields are not in the ideal condition. We are waiting for better weather, even though the forecast says it could get worse,” Villa told Anadolu.

“This also means a considerable loss for the sowings yet to be done, which could be more than 50%.”

His tomato harvest is also a worry for Villa, who feels the plants sown are “destined to die.”

“The tomato is the only crop we have managed to plant. In a part of the sown fields, the tomato still seems to be alive, but it is completely sick and asphyxiated because the plant cannot find oxygen in the subsoil and even those that still seem to be alive are destined to die,” he explained.

“Even if the weather gets better, I don’t think we will be able to recover those plants,” he added dejectedly, estimating that he could lose his entire tomato harvest this year.

- ‘Impossible to do the work’

Crossing the rice fields from Milan to Pavia, where almost half of all Italian rice is produced, the situation is just as dire.

Water still covers a lot of the land, giving farmers many sleepless nights and reasons to worry.

In the Mairano di Noviglio area, Gabriele Noe’s family has been cultivating rice for three generations, allocating 130 of their 160 hectares (320 out of 395 acres) to produce almost 1,000 tons of rice.

But the situation right now is something we have never experienced, the 65-year-old farmer told Anadolu.

“The fields are completely submerged. It’s impossible to do the work and turn the soil. We had to go back into the water to sow, but the soil underneath is not in any condition to receive the grain,” he said.

“We are at least a month late with the sowing. Right now, we are still sowing, when in previous years by this time the seedling would already be 15 to 20 centimeters in height.”

Noe said he managed to sow a part of the fields a month ago, but “because of the low night temperatures, the grain did not manage to form properly, pushing out only a small root and a few small leaves.”

For him and the entire agricultural community in Lombardy, these are days full of uncertainty, as the good weather they await is nowhere to be seen and forecasts remain either vague or bleak.

Adding to that is the memory of the disastrous 2022 season, when a scorching drought caused some €6 billion ($6.4 billion) in losses across Italy.

“Since everything is late, ripening will also be late. I am dreading September and October when the ripening of the grain will completely stop because of the lower temperatures,” said Noe.

“If all goes well, and if there are no more unfavorable conditions from here on, we may end up losing half of our produce.”