Puglian Land Reclamation Consortia: Waste, Mismanagement, and the Burden on Farmers
Written by Davide Gangi | Published in current events 
In recent years, the management of land reclamation consortia in Puglia has turned into a true administrative and economic disaster. Despite significant public funding, the region’s agricultural infrastructure remains in critical condition, leaving farmers alone to face a system that, instead of helping them, seems to exist only to demand their money.
Over the years, the Puglia Region has allocated hundreds of millions of euros for the management and rehabilitation of land reclamation consortia. In just the past few years, over 755 million euros have been earmarked for the General Land Reclamation Plan, yet these funds have not led to a substantial improvement in infrastructure.
The Court of Auditors has repeatedly pointed out delays in spending these funds, with a slow and inefficient bureaucratic system unable to transform the available resources into concrete projects. Meanwhile, irrigation channels remain outdated, water losses multiply, and fields dry up when water is most needed.
While politics and bureaucracy shift the blame, Puglian farmers are forced to pay ever-higher consortium fees for services they do not receive. The consortia, in fact, continue to issue payment notices for contributions that, in theory, should be used for the maintenance and management of water networks. But what do farmers actually get in return?
The answer is dire: nothing. In many areas, essential services are either non-existent or function intermittently, forcing farmers to find alternative solutions at their own expense. The paradox is that they pay for infrastructures that do not work and for management that does not meet their needs.
The Puglia Region has attempted to remedy this situation by placing some consortia under special administration, but the result has been a further deterioration of the situation. The special commissioners, appointed to resolve inefficiencies, have not brought tangible improvements, while financial and structural problems continue to multiply.
The mechanism is clear: money continues to be demanded from citizens and farmers without resolving anything, while the governance of the consortia remains opaque and lacking true oversight. Meanwhile, those truly responsible for the mismanagement go unpunished, leaving the burden of inefficiency on the shoulders of those who work daily to produce the food that reaches our tables.
This situation can no longer be tolerated. Puglian farmers are not a resource to be exploited but the beating heart of the regional economy. Asking them to pay for a non-existent service is not only unfair—it is immoral.
It is time to demand transparency, to ensure that public funds are genuinely used to modernize infrastructure rather than fuel an inefficient bureaucratic system. Those who have failed must be held accountable, and farmers must have their right to work in dignified conditions recognized.
Puglia cannot afford to lose its agricultural sector due to waste and mismanagement. A strong mobilization and concrete action are needed to finally put an end to this disgrace.
No more waste, no more injustice: Puglian farmers deserve respect and real solutions!
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