Fuel has increased in price by more that 60% compared to a year ago, according to Italian fishing industry body Federpesca, which warns that this is a situation that fishing companies have now been facing for many weeks.
‘This is an emergency that affects many sectors of the economy, but for fishing the effects are devastating,’ a Federpesca representative said.
‘Diesel represents more than half of the costs that fishing companies have to meet on a daily basis. It’s clear that the current situation makes it impossible to guarantee the future of these companies, with implications for reduced production and potential losses of employment.’
According to Federpesca, rising fuel costs, coupled with a reduction in fishing days and the ongoing pandemic continue to have significant effects on the seafood trade.
‘This is a situation in which we need to see a strong commitment from our government, with measures to mitigate the impact of this crisis and to protect livelihoods and employment,’ Federpesca’s representative said.
‘If this doesn’t happen, thousands of companies could be forced to stop their activities, which also means more imported seafood appearing on Italian tables.’
