Everything seemed to be going well - the quality of produce was great and quantities were not excessive - until everything went south due to the lack in consumption.
"Demand is stuck and we can't figure out why. We all expected things to go much differently but now we have unsold produce with unprecedented quality. It may be due to the crazy weather in our area," explains Riccardo Bargellini from Gobbi Gino.
For example, the apricot season in Emilia-Romagna started around twenty days ago. "Estimates talked about 30% less volumes, so we immediately thought about easy sales at good prices. And it did go that way in the beginning, until a heatwave made the produce ripen slightly too much."
This of course affected prices. "The Portici variety is sold at between €1-1.10/kg, and we are talking about excellent quality! Other varieties are selling at 80 cents, despite the fact that quality and flavour are exceptional."
"The same thing happened with peaches. The season started well and then sales slowed down. Cherries are affected too."
"The season was also perfect for melons. Despite the lower quantities, we still can't manage to sell everything. Macigno netted melons dropped from €1.30-1.50 to 50 cents a kg, whereas the Bacir variety is doing slightly better at €1.30-1.40/kg. And, once again, quality is exceptional and the produce is really sweet."
Author: Andrea Minghelli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it