We talked to Giorgio Mercuri from Agrinsieme and President of Alleanza delle Cooperative Italiane - Agricultural and Food Sector for an assessment.
FreshPlaza (FP) - The time has come to make an assessment for what concerns 2016.
Giorgio Mercuri (GM) - "Actually, consumption increased in 2016 and so did prices. It is true, though, that the year was rather weird for what concerns temperatures, as they never reflected the season. As regards vegetables, production peaked in autumn and dropped in winter. This was also due to the fact that retailers demanded products that we could not always supply."
FP - Mild temperatures have been followed by the arctic weather of the past few days, damaging both fruits and vegetables.
GM - "The frost and snow of the past few days did destroy some of the crops. This means we are currently not able to supply retailers and won't be able to also in the next few months. Products like fennel or artichokes do not survive temperatures below -8 or -9°C.
We still do not know how much of the produce has been destroyed, we will have to wait a while because temperatures remain low and it keeps on snowing. A lot of produce will not be available for the next 10/15 days.
The regions most affected are Puglia, one of the leading producers of vegetables, and Sicily, where the weather destroyed some crops and blocked the growth of others.
FP -What are the problems you are already aware of?
GM - We have seen photos of vineyards completely destroyed by the snow. It may be possible to save something, but costs will be high for producers. We still do not know what will happen to fruit, especially since temperatures had been mild until Christmas, so trees developed buds.
All we can do is wait, it is still too early to assess the damage now. These are extraordinary phenomena that damage both companies and consumers, who will have to deal with higher prices.
FP - Will we have to deal with an invasion of produce from abroad?
GM - Of course retailers will have to import produce to keep the shelves full over the next few days. But consumers must pay attention, the origin of the products must be clearly stated. We expect everyone to comply, so consumers can be aware of what they are buying."
FP - Will we have to deal with an invasion of produce from abroad?
GM - Of course retailers will have to import produce to keep the shelves full over the next few days. But consumers must pay attention, the origin of the products must be clearly stated. We expect everyone to comply, so consumers can be aware of what they are buying."
Author: G.G. for FreshPlaza
