Investing in agriculture
"The increasing presence of wild boars in the municipalities of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Alburni National Park has reached levels no longer tolerable for inland agriculture," said Antonio Costantino, president of Confagricoltura Salerno. "In recent days, we've been receiving increasing reports from our members regarding the damage they've caused to crops. Many of them, including young people, who have decided to stay in Cilento and invest in agriculture, are discouraged and tempted to abandon their activities. In this way," Costantino warns, "we risk undermining all the good work being done to promote excellent PDO and PGI products."
The harvesting phase
"The problem," confirms Manlio De Feo, president of the Consortium for the Protection of the Cilento White Fig DOP, "is not just the damage to the fruit during this harvest phase, but also the damage done to the plants, which jeopardizes the economic viability of the companies. This then affects other stakeholders in the supply chain, such as packagers and retailers. This risks undermining the very purpose of the Consortium, which is to protect and promote the Cilento White Fig. We farmers are the custodians of Cilento's biodiversity, but at this rate, nothing will be left."
Resolving interventions
Wild boars are also destroying apple trees, pear trees, and native grapes. We all need to get moving; we farmers are disheartened.” Confagricoltura Salerno has expressed its full support for the mayor of Magliano Vetere, Adriano Piano, who has called for an urgent meeting of the Park Community. “The mayors,” says Costantino, “must work together to identify the most appropriate solutions and push for decisive action. The devastation caused by wild boars affects not only crops and undergrowth, but also dry stone walls, thus seriously jeopardizing the hydrogeological stability of the areas.”
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