Floriana Fanizza gazes desolately at her celery crop, lost to the coronavirus because it could not be harvested.
Italian farmers are being brought to their knees by a six-week lockdown aimed at stopping a deadly epidemic in its tracks. They are also suffering a drought caused by the driest spring in more than half a century.Border blocks, restaurant closures and a lack of seasonal workers mean nearly four out of 10 businesses in the fruit and vegetable sector are struggling, according to Italy's biggest agricultural union Coldiretti.
That meant there were not enough hands to harvest the celery and turnip crops, which were ruined. The clock is now ticking on seeding vegetables for harvesting this summer."We hope we'll be able to find them, otherwise we will have to reduce production."The coronavirus crisis means this year there is a shortage of between 250,000 and 270,000, according to the farming ministry.
With Romanians alone accounting for 110,000 of the country's 350,000 foreign seasonal workers, Rome is in talks with Bucharest over"green corridors" to ease movement between the two countries.
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