Individual specificities of the territories
Ten issues to resolve, ten priorities to revitalize Apulian agriculture, building on the specific characteristics of each region to build a unified development vision: in a meeting with Antonio Decaro, CIA-Agricoltori Italiani Puglia outlined its platform to the center-left regional presidential candidate. Room 8 of the Fiera del Levante Conference Center was packed with farmers from across Puglia for the meeting "Farmers and Politicians in Network." The ten priorities are: CAP reform and strengthening the Department of Agriculture to seize the opportunities afforded by Cohesion Funds go hand in hand; the same goes for water and irrigation resources and combating the effects of climate change; and restoring safe conditions in the countryside is also crucial.
Extraordinary plan
Cia Puglia also believes it is crucial to definitively resolve the issue of the Land Reclamation Consortia under special administration and ensure the full operation of the Centro Sud Puglia Consortium. Regarding Xylella, the organization led by President Gennaro Sicolo reiterated the urgent need to refinance an extraordinary plan for olive oil regeneration in Salento and, at the same time, implement new measures to combat the bacterium's spread. All Cia provincial presidents focused on the situation in rural areas: a plan is needed to lift them out of marginalization, lack of services, and depopulation, starting with road infrastructures that are often in dire condition. Furthermore, the Puglia Region, with the involvement of the government, must strengthen its efforts to combat illegal waste dumping in the countryside and, on the other, strengthen the support fund for municipalities for waste removal and cleanup operations. At the meeting at the Fiera del Levante Conference Center, another priority identified by Cia Puglia was a more systematic, continuous, and efficient plan to combat and repair the damage caused by wildlife. Regarding the invasion of photovoltaic panels and wind turbines in the countryside, the organization led by Gennaro Sicolo reiterated its proposals to strengthen measures to protect the primary and essential productive function of agricultural land.
Value of agricultural products
Training for young people and supporting social and health policies for the active aging of older adults are the other two priorities in the "Decalogue" presented by Cia Puglia to Antonio Decaro. With the gubernatorial candidate, they also discussed extensively the problems related to producer prices that penalize farmers: the durum wheat issue, but not only, since the value attributed to agricultural products is often not remunerative in other sectors of agricultural production. On these and other important issues, in addition to President Gennaro Sicolo, Deputy Vice President Giannicola D'Amico, Provincial Presidents Giuseppe De Noia (Bari-Bat), Pietro De Padova (Taranto-Brindisi), Angelo Miano (Foggia), and Emanuela Longo (Director of Cia Salento) outlined their needs and proposals.
On the farmers' side
"The center-left candidate for president of the Puglia Region has welcomed our proposals," Sicolo stated, "on some of which we fully agree. I thanked him for once again demonstrating his full willingness to listen to the concerns of the local communities and of the most authentic Puglia, which contributes with extraordinary results and sacrifices to creating jobs, income, and development in each of our six provinces. Whether Decaro will lead the Region for the next five years or his center-right competitor will be decided by the people of Puglia. In any case, the next president will have to protect and promote agriculture as the primary and most important driver of development, innovation, and employment in our Puglia," Sicolo added. Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, for its part, will continue to stand with farmers, more determined and convinced than ever of the importance of focusing strongly on agriculture for the present and future of all of Puglia." (Source: CIA)
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