Italy’s Crop Damage From Drought Seen Close to 1 Billion Euros

Italian farmers have suffered close to 1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) in crop damage from drought, with losses in corn, wine grapes and sugar beets, farm-industry organization Confagricoltura reported.

Corn losses range from 30 percent to complete destruction for non-irrigated fields, while the damage in soybeans and sugar beets is about 50 percent, the Rome-based agriculture group wrote in a statement dated Aug. 9.