Less water – less olive oil, this is an axiom that has been confirmed once again this year in Italy.
The production of olive oil, a key ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, will suffer severe consequences from water shortages. The drought is particularly acute in the southern Italian region of Puglia, which accounts for about 50% of the country's olive oil production. Pietro Leone, manager of an agricultural company in the province of Foggia, says:
“This year the olives have not been very good, there are much fewer of them than last year because we had a water deficit, which we have had for several years. And then we had two terrible days during flowering when several varieties did not set. This year we have 50% to 80% fewer olives on the trees.”
The Capaccio Dam supplies water to the province's entire industry, irrigation and drinking water needs. Today it is practically empty.it only holds 2.5 million cubic meters of water, while it usually contains up to 17 million cubic meters. But the water that is there has been preserved since last winter. This year, the dam has hardly filled up. The other three reservoirs in the province of Foggia are half empty. Euronews journalist Luca Palamara speaks:
“The numbers and percentages are disturbing, but the reality is even more clear. Green meadows and animals have replaced water. Here we can see in concrete examples what the word “drought” means. The low water level in this artificial reservoir may be convenient for watering livestock, but for olive trees it is catastrophically insufficient. Although these plants require less water than other crops, temperatures above 40 degrees for 50 days in a row put olive production and therefore precious olive oil at great risk.”
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