The Italian agricultural cooperative Fedagripesca warned that the annual harvest of Tuscany is at risk because its seasonal staff basically come from countries that are now included in the Italian blacklist COVID-19.
A well-known wine region, Tuscan farmers are involved in the autumn vendemmia (vendanges) hampered by shortages of seasonal staff. Every year, around 5,000 employees arrive in Italy from foreign countries, usually from Eastern Europe.
However, due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections, many Eastern European countries have been added to Italy’s so-called “blacklist,” preventing the season from entering the country.
Border closures are unlikely to be lifted soon, as Italy is experiencing an increasing number of infections from abroad. If the restrictions continue, the Fedagripesca Conoperative of Tuscany has expressed concern that this year’s harvest will suffer.
In an effort to save the season, Fedagripesca asked the government to simplify the processing of “agricultural vouchers” as a means of payment. Vouchers allow vineyards to locate short-term staff while helping to stimulate the economy of the agricultural sector.
“This would allow students, the unemployed and unemployed restaurateurs to come to the vineyards to lend a hand and earn cash that they can then spend, helping to revive the economy,” said Ritano Baragli, vice president of Fedagripesca Confcooperative Tuscany.
Baragli criticized the government for its “allergy” to the use of vouchers, “bureaucracy blocks short-term employment.”
The government had passed a new decree on March 18 that allowed a circle of family members up to the sixth degree of kinship to help, but Baragli said it was not enough. “The other people who paint in agriculture are older,” he said, “so parents are older too.”
While many vineyards have already mechanized their harvesting process, there are still many others who harvest grapes by hand. They are making plans for a small harvest in September and, most sensiblely, they will also face the next challenge of a struggling export market. Baragli expects the drop in sales abroad of Italian wine to be “above 4%” this year.
I am a journalist founded in Venice and Scotland. I’ve been writing about my country often since I moved here five years after I graduated.
I am a journalist founded in Venice and Scotland. I have been writing about my country often since I moved here five years ago after graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in art history.