OMM Newsroom
Truckers’ protests over rising diesel prices continued across southern Italy on Tuesday, disrupting freight operations and slowing fresh produce deliveries to Rome, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Italian public broadcaster Rai News.
Operations were halted at the Interporto Sud Europa freight terminal between Marcianise and Maddaloni in the southern province of Caserta, where a long line of trucks blocked access to the logistics hub.
Deliveries of fruit and vegetables from southern Italy to Rome have also slowed, according to the Rome Agri-Food Center Observatory. The observatory said reduced supplies of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and grapes had pushed up wholesale prices, while reliance on imports was increasing to offset shortages.
Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi said the government had begun releasing €480 million ($538 million) in contributions to the road haulage sector. The funds cover applications received by Aug. 30, he said, adding that further financing would be provided for September and October.
Rixi said the tax credit would be paid in 2027. “We’ve released around €1 billion ($1.12 billion),” he said after a meeting with transport associations in Milan attended by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
The government had also allocated more than €150 million ($168 million) to support road haulage companies through tax credits and measures linked to the EU’s emissions trading system, Rixi said.
“The requests are justified, but the roadblocks cannot be allowed indefinitely,” Rixi said, calling for the blockades to end.
Truck drivers and farmers have protested across southern Italy, including in Puglia, Sicily, Molise and Calabria, demanding government action over rising fuel costs.
The Sicilian Transport Committee said its protest remained limited to the island’s ports and the movement of semi-trailers from ships. It said it would end its action once Salvini formally signed the commitments required to release the funds.
