The Coppery Montoro Onion campaign has started. Gaia/GB Agricola has in fact started harvesting and selling the traditional variety. Quality is good but volumes are rather low. "This year, productivity is lower because of the weather, especially due to the heavy rainfall during certain periods," explains Nicola Barbato, president of the PGI Coppery Montoro Onion Committee.
Nicola talks about 10% less product per hectare, though "our network is in line with the past year because we had invested in additional crops." The produce will be available until April 2017.
"We focus on cultivating a product with an excellent quality. Despite the difficult year, we want to guarantee the healthiness and traceability of our products. Volumes are still limited as we are waiting for the Tropea onion campaign to end towards September."
In Italy, demand exceeds the domestic supply. "Coppery Montoro Onion and Tropea onions could improve a lot because demand on the domestic and foreign market is high. We would rather coppery onions remained a niche product though."
"Our product is now available in a few retailer chains, also thanks to a contact who is selecting traditional Italian products for fresh produce supermarket sections."
Nowadays, consumers are much more informed about the various products. "This applies both to fresh and processed products, as the latter also reflect tradition. At Cibus, for example, we have launched La Genovese, the vegetarian version of a Neapolitan pasta sauce prepared with onion, celery and carrots."
Contacts:
Nicola Barbato
Gaia società semplice agricola
Via Ospedale 4
83025 Montoro AV
Cell.: (+39) 347 3694056
Web: www.agricolagaia.it