The last remaining quantities of Italian Tarocco are now circulating, marking the end of this year's orange season. "We were able to trade the coveted Moro blood oranges until the end of January-beginning of February, after which we continued with Sanguinelli variety. We managed to sell Tarocco blood oranges in good quantities just before Easter. However, as almost every year, one can notice that the demand tends to decrease from around mid-March," says Francesco Di Bari, citrus specialist and senior manager of Sapros Ltd, based at the Karlsruhe wholesale market.
The majority of the blood oranges are sourced directly from Sicily by the trading company. Overall, they look back on a satisfactory campaign. "We were able to sell a significant amount of blood oranges. However, in comparison, the blonde oranges carry much more weight. Especially the Moro variety is not a volume driver but a typical gourmet item for restaurateurs," Di Bari says.
Francesco Di Bari during a wholesale market visit by FreshPlaza.de in 2018.
For blonde oranges, Sapros deals with both Italian oranges and Egyptian Valencia juicing oranges. Di Bari: "In the first half of the season, the Navelina variety dominates the scene, followed by Washington Navel. The latter variety has also now ended. Overall, the demand was quite pleasing throughout the season, even though prices were up to 20-30 percent higher than the previous year's level. Nevertheless, similar price increases were seen with Spanish citrus."
Overall, the experienced wholesaler looks forward to the future of the Italian citrus industry with optimism. "Although exotic fruits are increasingly being cultivated in Sicily, this will not, in my view, endanger the local citrus production. Italian citrus fruits continue to hold a high value in specialist retail. Significant increases are unlikely, but the volumes are expected to remain constant."
Approaching Start of the Grape and Stone Fruit Harvest
With the Italian citrus season coming to a close, attention is cautiously shifting to the upcoming grape and stone fruit season, Di Bari continues. "We are expecting the first Sicilian date grapes of the early Vittoria variety in just a few weeks, by early May at the latest, closely followed by the first early peaches and nectarines."
For more information:
Francesco Di Bari
Sapros GmbH
Karlsruhe Wholesale Market
Phone: +49 721 627650
sales@sapros.de
www.sapros.de