"Stop the grain traffickers," "Without Italian grain, there's no future," "We're cultivating anger." These are some of the slogans that accompanied the demonstration of Sardinian grain farmers , who took to the streets this morning in Cagliari, concurrent with dozens of other demonstrations from north to south of the country.
Hundreds of farmers demonstrated in front of the Prefecture to denounce the crisis affecting the cereal sector, including plummeting prices, foreign competition, and rising production costs.
At the heart of the protest organized by Coldiretti was a harsh attack on uncontrolled imports of foreign wheat and a demand for protections for domestic production.
The prefect of Cagliari, Giuseppe Castaldo, received a delegation from Coldiretti led by regional president Battista Cualbu, who illustrated the difficulties facing the sector , aggravated – according to the organization – by market speculation and unfair practices in the supply chain.
The situation, farmers explain, has become unsustainable : the price of durum wheat has plummeted to 28 euros per quintal, a 30% drop from last year, returning to pre-war levels in Ukraine. Meanwhile, production costs have increased by 20% since 2021. Although a kilo of pasta now sells for around 2 euros, producers are paid just 28 cents for each kilo of wheat.
In Sardinia, according to a Coldiretti analysis of Istat data , the area cultivated with durum wheat fell to 28,475 hectares in 2025, confirming a negative trend. Nationally, approximately 140,000 farms are at risk, especially in Southern Italy.
"Cereal farming is experiencing a profound crisis," Cualbu stated, "exacerbated by unfair practices that ignore the national law prohibiting payments below production costs. We need a transparent supply chain that guarantees not only quality, but also a fair price for farmers, even before the start of the season."
Coldiretti's appeal is addressed to the government and institutions: "We cannot continue to suffer the invasion of low-cost and unsafe foreign grains," Cualbu added, "which are excluding our producers and posing a risk to consumers. Without rules and adequate economic recognition, we risk losing a strategic sector for our food sovereignty and the future of the Sardinian countryside."
(Unioneonline)