Italian rice crops devastated by severe drought and heatwave

Italy's rice farmers in Pavia province face catastrophic losses due to a severe drought and the worst European heatwave on record in June. Sharon Angoli, a 22-year-old farmer in Torre Beretti, about 60 km south of Milan, described her parched paddies as overrun with weeds and one field as beyond saving regardless of future rain. She and her father Carlo fear for their other fields, which should be harvested in September. Carlo Angoli noted that even abundant summer rains might not save the crop, and joked that a hailstorm in September would at least trigger insurance reimbursement. Pavia is the heart of Italy's rice industry, normally producing nearly five million tonnes annually. The lack of spring rain has left rivers from the Alps to the Adriatic in critical condition, and farmers are despondent.