Coferasta supplies the produce to retailers and abroad (mainly Eastern Europe) under the SBB brand from the warehouse located in San Bartolomeo in Bosco.
"At the moment prices are similar to those during harvesting, which means that those already paid, or promised, from some operators were higher than they needed to be. Of course the campaign is still at the beginning, but expectations are good," comments Roncarati.
"The market crisis in Italy, temperatures that are too high for this period, the general drop in consumption, slow exports...all of this contributes to abundant supplies while demand does not seem to take off. As if this was not enough, there will be other problems with shelf-life in a month's time. In particular, the fact that the produce was not treated with ethoxyquin could make the situation worse, as then we will have to lower the prices again to appeal to consumers."
"People have been less interested in apples, Fuji in particular, in the last few days, due to the same problems. Golden and Granny Smith are also going slow," continues the manager.
"We are now starting to sell kiwis. Grades are bigger than usual, so we might be able to have a good season, also due to the fact that there is no overproduction and the market is quite lively."
"It is not a great moment, but we want to be positive and try to maintain our position in the markets while trying to help our buyers out of the crisis and support our growers in future campaigns. This is why our agents are organising special visits to producers in commercial farms. The aim is to improve quality and make the right choices."
Contacts
Coferasta SpA
Via Bologna, 900
44124 San Martino (FE)
Tel.: (+39) 0532 714911
Fax: (+39) 0532 712374
Email: commerciale@coferasta.com
Web: www.coferasta.com