Vineyards and farmland in southern Sardinia are in crisis following the severe weather that hit the island, with heavy rain, winds, and unseasonal hailstorms. The region is on its knees, and the damage has spread to everyone : from Castiadas to Maracalagonis, to the greater Quartu area, passing through Sinnai, Settimo San Pietro, Sestu, Ussana, and beyond . In the agricultural sector, concerns are growing after the damage reported in the last few hours.
The most severe damage was recorded in Parteolla and Sarrabus, with the highest levels of damage, with hailstones hitting the vine rows during a delicate phase of the growing season , compromising the production prospects of many wineries. Strong winds and frost further exacerbated an already challenging situation for plantations and vineyards, which had been affected by a particularly difficult winter and a rapid succession of extreme weather events.
"We are alongside companies and agricultural families, committed to collecting reports and carefully assessing the extent of the damage, in a context that is causing great concern, especially for the wine sector," underlines Giorgio Demurtas, president of Coldiretti Cagliari. " The damage assessment is still ongoing, but the initial reports speak of vineyards being hit widely and companies forced to deal with losses that risk having a heavy impact on the season," he explains. "This is yet another hard blow for a sector that, after last year's difficulties, was looking to 2026 as the year of recovery."
For Giuseppe Casu, director of Coldiretti Cagliari, "we are facing yet another violent climatic event affecting our territories," given that "these are no longer exceptional situations" but rather a "new reality that the agricultural sector is forced to deal with every day. This requires a structural strategy that protects production, business income, and the future of the agri-food sector." Businesses, particularly wineries, are already experiencing "a season marked by numerous critical issues," the president and director emphasize. "This year, the conditions for a recovery were evident, but the phenomena recorded in the last few hours seriously threaten to compromise production and work for an entire year."
Coldiretti Cagliari finally emphasizes the need for rapid and concrete action : "We are still awaiting crucial steps regarding compensation related to previous events," Demurtas and Casu recall, "also in light of the commitments made during the March 18 mobilization, when damage coverage was guaranteed for all affected areas. This new wave of bad weather was unwanted and makes it even more urgent to provide businesses with certainty."
(Unioneonline)
