(ANSA) - BARI, 08 NOV - "The new oil arrives in Puglia of extraordinary quality with the mills opening their doors, while the olive-oil campaign comes to life with quantities of olives that mark a 30% decrease compared to the historical average production (with 145 million kg against the historical average of 200 million) due to the crazy climate, from bad weather to drought, without forgetting the effects of the Xylella which after Lecce is affecting the olive-growing heritage of Brindisi ".
This is what emerges from an analysis by Coldiretti Puglia, disclosed on the occasion of the opening of the mills in Andria (BAT), in the Antico Frantoio Muraglia company, with the transformation of olives into extra virgin olive oil.
"The absence of rains and the drought that hit the olive grove of the country, Puglia, a region that produces half of the Italian product, where the costs to irrigate and guarantee quality olives have doubled to influence the oil season - Coldiretti points out -. the double-digit increase in production compared to last year, the result of a concrete improvement in some areas (with peaks of + 40%) offset by a lower rate from other areas, in general the puglian production will remain far from the typical standards of the loading years with 145 million kilograms against the historical averages of 200 million kg ".
"We will not accept any speculation on the prices of oil which is of exceptional quality", says the president of ColdirettiPuglia, Savino Muraglia, "because production costs have more than doubled with heavy repercussions on the serious operators of the supply chain, mills and producers, who must see the their work with fair remuneration ". The growth in oil prices has infected the entire economy - underlines Coldiretti Puglia - also increasing the costs of businesses: with the start of cultivation operations, farmers are forced to face increases of up to 50% for the diesel necessary for collection activities with farms, for the purchase of fertilizers,of agricultural machinery and spare parts for which there are even worrying delays in deliveries, while during the summer with four months of persistent drought, the costs for irrigation increased. (HANDLE).
