It's a bad moment for table tomatoes - prices have been low for the past 15 days at least and producers are working at a loss. It's not a question of quality, though, as even excellent tomatoes cannot reach satisfactory prices.
Daniele Brunelli, a Verona producer who owns 35 hectares, confirms that "the market is heavy. There are not great price differences, except for the Rosamunda pink variety. Two weeks ago, the average was €0.70 and we have now dropped to €0.50."
June is always a bad month for vegetables, however, as productions from all over Italy overlap. Aubergines, regardless of the excellent quality, also don't reached the price producers hoped for.
"Top quality oval aubergines reach €0.55-0.60/kg. In this case too, if we take out the expenses, there is nothing left. My employees are practically making more money than I am."
Daniele Brunelli
Brunelli has its own packaging, but it's not enough to keep prices high. "I don't think it has anything to do with a drop in consumption. It's just that there is too much produce available."
"Final prices are always more or less the same, but we always find it hard to make a profit. A difference of just a few cents per kg is crucial."
Contacts:
Daniele Brunelli
Tel.: (+39) 338.4436859