Milan, October 9 (askanews) – Fuel is increasingly expensive, production costs are rising, and margins are shrinking. For farmers, doing business is becoming a daily challenge, amid economic difficulties and uncertainties about the future. Despite this, in Milan, at Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, bread continues to be kneaded, but behind this ancient gesture lies an urgent question: if wheat continues to be paid so little to those who produce it, who will grow it in twenty years? At the end of August, on the Bologna Stock Exchange, organic soft wheat was worth 33 cents per kilo, while conventional wheat was just 22.
This is where NaturaSì's campaign "20 cents for tomorrow's bread" comes from, asking consumers to contribute just 20 cents more for every kilo of bread. We asked Fabio Brescacin, president of NaturaSì, why customers should pay more for bread: "Bread comes from wheat, and we need to valorize wheat.
Unfortunately, wheat is currently paid too little, and farmers can't afford to continue producing at this price, which, despite being an international price, is unsustainable. We absolutely must invest more money in agriculture and pay a fairer price for wheat, which will allow farmers to survive and continue working in the future." The contribution, which will be available for one year in NaturaSì stores, will be allocated to agricultural companies in the supply chain.
For those who consume 100 grams of bread a day, this means only 2 cents more per day, while the price of pasta, flour, and biscuits will remain unchanged. Young farmers also participated in the presentation, including Marta Galimberti of Cascina Bagaggera, who spoke about the difficulties of the sector, sending a strong message on the need for change: "I'm a little fed up, honestly, as a young farmer, with the rhetoric that has been going around for too many years, about the missionary farmer who has to break his back and work 365 days a year. Luckily he's there, and luckily he makes us food. What we need to think about is a shared responsibility and co-responsibility and try to give dignity to agricultural work and to this young farmer who, alternatively, lasts for a few years and then gives up." The Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Francesco Lollobrigida also spoke at the presentation with a video message, underlining the weight and importance of each of our individual daily choices: "Today, eating It can be a revolutionary act that changes our production system, that values quality, that values respect for workers, respect for the environment. Citizens can truly lend a hand when they know how to choose." The morning concluded with a collective bread-making ritual led by master baker Davide Longoni, with the special participation of Giovanni Storti, of the trio Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo, who made a point of being there.
Askanews