Aubergine production in the Italian peninsula covers different periods: Sicily produces, between November and June, protected crops and between July and October in open fields, Central Italy produces between May and October and the North between June and October.
Sicilain company Ortonatura produces 4,000 tons of aubergines on average on around 20 hectares of protected crops, 50% of which are soil-less.
"Round, oval, oblong, black, purple, white and streaked - everyone has their favourite. For example, the northern Adriatic prefers oblong varieties whereas the round ones sell well all over Italy," explains Nuccia Alboni from Ortonatura and marketing manager for the "La Signora Melanzana" brand.
Perlina aubergines have been available for quite a few year and come in a variety of sizes.
"France, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Dubai require Italian purple varieties or round ones from Spain (as they cost less). Our main competitor is indeed Spain, especially in October-November and February-March."
"This year production is abundant, so quotations dropped. Despite this, there shouldn't be major changes in terms of cultivated areas."
"It is a very dynamic product and recently some innovations were introduced like the emerald green (above) and bright purple (below) varieties, which of course are niche products."
"Packaging was also adapted to the new distribution needs, as the tendency now is to use single-portion flow-packed trays."
"The soil-less technique is increasingly popular as the produce is more uniform and it easier to manage phytosanitary problems, which are mostly caused by sudden weather changes," concludes Nuccia Alboni.
Contacts:
Ortonatura
Nuccia Alboni
Ct.da Piano di Savia
Vittoria (RG)
Tel.: (+39) 0932 871650
Fax: (+39) 0932 995667
Email: ortonatura@alice.it
Web: www.ortonatura.eu