A member of the Sicilian regional assembly, Rosanna Cannata reported: “Yesterday morning, I went checking the Rosolini and Pachino countryside, where I could notice the presence of the New Delhi virus with a 50% incidence on the courgette productions. Also, the virus has reached the Noto and Portopalo territories”.
Cannata explained, “The virus comes from Spain and it spread on other produce as well, such as peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, melons and watermelons. It was identified in Sicily for the first time in fall 2015. No solutions have been adopted thus far. Therefore, that is why I felt the urge to do something in order to solve this problem”.
Cannata added, “Thus, together with Dr Sebastiano Vecchio (a manager of the Phytosanitary Unit in Siracusa) and with a group of companies from Siracusa province, I visited those greenhouses where the courgette is farmed so to use any means necessary to ‘take down’ such a big enemy”.
Cannata concluded, “I hope that the Government will take care of this issue in order to find resources and measures to support the companies hit by the virus and therefore to protect our produce”.
