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Sicily's orange growers call for assistance as dry spell threatens output

Sicily's orange farmers warned on Tuesday that searing heat and drought risked trashing this year's production and called for assistance from local and national authorities to save their company. After months of belowaverage rains, a water scarcity is impacting main areas of the Mediterranean island and injuring its orange growing, which accounts for 65% of Italy's output of the fruit.

Sicily is experiencing one of the worst seasons possible from a weather perspective ... the threat of desertification has actually now ended up being concrete, two associations of regional orange growers said in a joint paper.

Agricultural production across Italy shrank in 2015 as wine, fruit and olive oil output all took a hit from severe weather condition events linked to climate change.

The paper called for urgent action to alleviate the impact of dry spell, such as updating Sicily's dams and tanks, reducing leak from water pipes and simpler procedures for farmers to find and draw water independently.

Other demands consisted of a refund of certain regional fees paid by orange growers for services last year due to drought, discount rates on electricity and diesel fuel costs, and a reform of the insurance system to offer increased cover for harmed crops.

The document will be presented to nationwide and local organizations charged with managing the water crisis which the associations said threatened the survival of Sicilian citrus farming.

(source: Reuters)