The strawberry production is in full swing in Calabria, on the Sila plain, 1,250 metres above sea level. Quality is excellent after a rather complex summer and the market is demanding domestic strawberries.
Valchirio Piraccini from Piraccini Secondo explains that "our two production partners 'Marta Roberto' and 'Società Agricola Sole' are cultivating 10 hectares of the Albion variety. Brix levels are high and plants are remontant."
Albion plants are grown in greenhouses. Production started in mid-June, but the high temperatures of July and August caused problems as they hindered the development of large grades. In this period, however, quality is excellent and harvesting will continue until mid-November. Marta Romerto grows 550 thousand plants, while Società Agricola Sole has 280 thousand plants.
"Piraccini Secondo" owns approximately 80 hectares and in 2017 produced around 3500 tons of strawberries. It is expecting to reach 3800-4000 tons in 2018 with around 90 hectares. "As soon as they are harvested, strawberries are loaded on refrigerated trucks and taken to our facility in Scanzano Ionico for packaging. They are then sent to retailers."
"Defence is carried out with antagonistic insects. This year, crops were attacked by Drosophila but we managed to solve the problem thanks to mass trappings. This is to say that we always use traps, useful insects and integrated control techniques."