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Updated April 9th, 2020 at 10:20 IST

Italy flower industry wilting under virus lockdown

Row upon row of purple, white, yellow and burgundy buttercups cover the floor waiting to be thrown away in the Saracino Flower Farm in Aprilia, south of Rome.

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Row upon row of purple, white, yellow and burgundy buttercups cover the floor waiting to be thrown away in the Saracino Flower Farm in Aprilia, south of Rome.

The agricultural workers had to turn off the irrigation system, the flowers can't be sold, so there is no point in wasting water.

While coronavirus deaths in Italy have soared past 17,000, experts said the nationwide lockdown started to show some positive results.

The number of people who died from coronavirus hit the lowest number in nearly a month on Wednesday, while the number of new confirmed cases increased by 3,836.

But the economic devastation from the lockdown has just begun, and it's visible at the Saracino Flower Farm where the technical director Alessandro De Gregorio said the economic loss is around the 70 percent.

Usually the month before Easter is a busy time at this flower farm in Aprilia, but this year, everything went wrong.

In February, when COVID-19 first broke out in Italy, neighbouring countries blocked the export of agricultural products and when the national lockdown was put in place ceremonies such as weddings and funerals were banned.

Tens of thousands of plants are being thrown away or left to die inside the farm.

"Their destruction definitely hurts," said the farm's agronomist Michele Pizzigallo, 'it hurts my heart to think of all those useless sacrifices made for almost 3-4 months of cultivation."

The farm donated 100,000 flowers that would otherwise have been wasted to the town of Nettuno for the public gardens.

Nuzza Hututui from Romania is one of the workers who are still active on the farm, she comes to work with a mask and gloves on.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

 

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Published April 9th, 2020 at 10:20 IST

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