The low temperatures registered during this winter have certainly affected the European fresh produce market, which suffered from the lack of produce caused by reduced quantities. Sicily was also affected by this situation.
The prices of almost all products have increased but, despite what some feared, there were no speculations. Courgettes, aubergines and tomatoes were the products mainly affected.
Italian consumers reacted in quite a peculiar way as, instead of choosing cheaper products like onions, potatoes and carrots, they continued buying the more expensive ones.
The harvesting of Sicilian carrots will start in the next few months. Ripening was delayed because of the weather, but it is actually a positive thing, as the produce will not overlap with that from Chioggia and Fiumicino, which is currently being harvested.
Exports are slow at the moment because of the large stocks still available in the Netherlands which will become available after Polish carrots. We will have to wait for winter stocks to end to see an improvement.
Pgi new carrots from Ispica could instead become available as soon as mid-February, with excellent yields and volumes. Of course, the fact that it is a niche Pgi product makes all the difference. In addition, these carrots are becoming increasingly popular in retail, thanks to their organoleptic qualities.
Other products, like for example courgettes, saw the first slight drop in prices on January 31st - the maximum price recorded in Vittoria was €3/kg. Crops are recovering thanks to the increase in sunlight, but prices will not drop that much due to the lack of volumes available.
The price of aubergines is stable and the same can be said of cherry tomatoes, which are still lacking on the market despite supplies from Spain and Morocco.
With temperatures increasing over the next few days, the volumes of Sicilian products should increase, thus leading to lower prices. However, the scarcity of available produce should avoid sudden drops.