The health situation in many of the countries of the world caused by COVID-19 has caused many work and projects in which the entities work every day to stop.
This is the case of Italy, one of the countries most affected by COVI-19, which has caused its fight against Xylella fastidiosa to be paralyzed and without containment measures.
Recently, new olive and almond trees infected by the bacterium were detected in various areas of Italy, specifically in Puglia, Taranto and Brindisi, and experts do not rule out that the number increases in the spring.
According to Olive Oil Times, containment measures against this new outbreak have not yet been implemented, despite the fact that the Italian Government promised a few weeks ago funds for the affected areas and the European Union (EU) announced the unblocking of 300 million euros for this cause. But, the national effort against COVID-19 has affected the efficiency and timing of the response against Xylella.
These EU funds «will be a welcome relief for the mills, olive oil producers and farmers who have been most affected by Xylella«, although from the Coldiretti farmers association they have stated that currently no resources have been allocated to fight this bacteria.
«The disease in Puglia is widespread and uncontrolled,» said the president of Coldiretti Puglia, Savino Muraglia. In this sense, he has denounced that the Italian Ministry of Agriculture has not yet provided a timetable for the intervention.
However, not all local authorities are waiting for a go-ahead from the Ministry. The municipality of Ugento in Puglia is accepting registrations from farmers willing to remove infected plants. Originally, the registry was due to close on March 20, but the local authorities expanded it due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19.