Sicilian aubergine, tomato and pepper producers made an assessment on the 2014/15 campaign.
The price of Sicilian vegetables dropped in May due to the lower quality caused by higher temperatures and availability from Apulia, Latina and Verona.
It was quite a negative season for aubergines as the weather drastically reduced quantities between January and March and kept prices below average.
As can be seen from the chart below, the only ones that did well were streaked ones, which were more popular with consumers.
| April 2015 | May 2015 | |
| Round aubergines | 1.10 | 1.00 |
| Purple aubergines | 1.80 | 1.10 |
| Oblong aubergines | 1.50 | 1.20 |
| Streaked aubergines | 2.70 | 2.70 |
If we compare April/May with last year, we can see how profit margins this year were over €0.20/kg.
It was a rather good year for tomatoes, with satisfactory prices especially for the piccadilly and plum varieties.
For what concerns egg tomatoes, the green ones are now more popular due to a better quality and hot temperature. The Netherlands and Northern Europe in general have started production too.
2015 was a good year for peppers both in terms of production and prices, which hovered between €2.50-3.00/kg. Consumers preferred yellow and red Spanish varieties.
Feedback was good for horn peppers too, as they are increasingly popular also due to the fact that they are easy to digest.
Author: Raffaella Quadretti
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it