In Italy, trucker protests cause shortages in supermarkets

In Italy, the shelves are empty. Supermarkets in La Botte are facing shortages, while demonstrations by truckers against fuel prices and the high cost of living disrupt deliveries. The country is mired in fierce economic protests, which gave rise to excesses and looting on the weekend of October 17, as in France.

Trucker protests began in southern Italy in mid-October. In Calabria, two airports even had to cease operations because they were no longer supplied with kerosene. Road blockages around Naples caused major traffic jams. But demonstrations also took place in Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna, with the protest spreading to the north of the country.

It is therefore especially the supermarkets in southern Italy which are most affected by the shortages. The Coop brand, cited by the Italian media, mentions erratic and variable deliveries depending on the supply circuits. She particularly reports difficulties with grapes, clementines, lemons and vegetables. Generally speaking, perishable products are most affected by shortages, but even dry products are in short supply in places.

Large quantities of fresh products, such as fruits, vegetables, milk and meat, are stuck in trucks and warehouses and threaten to expire before even being on the shelves, added the Conad brand. “The freedom to demonstrate cannot result in an attack on the right of citizens to have access to fresh food or destroy the value produced by the Italian agri-food supply chain,” denounced its president Maurizio Pelliconi.

The Italian government is expected to announce new aid for truck drivers and farmers this Thursday, October 22, according to the office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The executive has already mobilized 1 billion euros to help truck drivers cope with rising fuel costs and finance the purchase of newer vehicles that consume less. The demonstrations also disrupted supplies to certain hospitals, denounced Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi, calling for an end to the blockages. He assured that the government could move to a firmer response.