In view of the next carrot campaign in Northern Italy, which will start around May 20, Zanarini srl shares some aspects concerning the current European market trend, the state of 2024 stocks, the production trend in Sicily and in the Chioggia area, and some views on the new Veneto campaign.
"As far as the European scenario is concerned, in February things appeared different than the last two years as stocks were still high. Today, the situation is starting to change. The adverse weather conditions recorded during the autumn months in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland and the Czech Republic, have prompted these two countries to turn to Northern Europe to make up for the serious shortages of local product, which were caused by the heavy rains and floods that hit the production areas last year," reports Francesca Barbieri, product manager at Zanarini agromarketing and consulting.
In addition to Eastern Europe, Italy also imported a lot of products from Belgium and the Netherlands in October and November last year due to the quality problems that affected both northern and central production, and thereby contributed, together with Spain, to a reduction in stocks.
"When can we expect Italian carrot exports to start? To answer this question, in addition to factors related to market dynamics, it will be crucial to assess the quality of last year's product still present in Europe between now and the start of the new crop campaign."
Current crops in Veneto (Chioggia area)
"Sicily began harvesting around the middle of January, and operations have been in full swing since March. To date, there is still no demand for product from abroad, while the northern Italian regions have recently finished their stocks and are beginning to turn to the south."
"This year, the areas sown in Sicily have increased by around 25% compared to last year; however, while one could easily have expected a greater availability of product, 30% of the expected carrots did not grow due to soils that remained dry for too long during and after sowing. There was no rainfall at all in October, so additional irrigation was necessary, which increased costs by around 40%."
"In the Veneto region, and particularly in the Chioggia area, around 1,200 hectares are cultivated with carrots. The cultivated area has not increased significantly compared to 2024, we are talking about +5%. Sowing began in mid-November and ended recently, with a significant delay in February operations due to the rain and inaccessible crops. Could this delay cause a small production gap in June?"
"It is early to make forecasts on final yields, as the weather in April will play a key role, although it would be prudent to ask a few questions about final product expectations, as there could be negative quality or poorer production yields due to the prolonged waterlogging in the fields in recent weeks, as well as the generalised delays in sowing."
"Considering the current context, as of today we do not think it prudent to overestimate how the export campaign of the Veneto carrot will be, which is the one that Zanarini always promotes between May and July thanks to its consolidated stable relations with local production and with important companies in Northern and Eastern Europe."
"An exchange of opinions and visions between production and the market will be fundamental to provide some clarity and to try to have a clearer perspective on the next campaign: for our part, we will undertake to disseminate information, which will certainly be the result of research and study and, above all, of an ongoing dialogue with all the players in the chain."
To do this, we remain available for an exchange of information and opinions, in the conviction that it remains of primary importance to know the dynamics of production and the market before selling," concludes Francesca Barbieri.
For more information
Francesca Barbieri - Sales Office
Zanarini Srl
+39 335 52 26 716
+39 051 82 61 64
[email protected]