Giancarlo Minguzzi:

Good start for apple, pear and kiwifruit seasons

"The start of the campaign was good for apples, pears and kiwifruits," stated Giancarlo Minguzzi, president of OP Minguzzi Spa, located in Alfonsine (RA), and Fruitimprese Emilia-Romagna, to FreshPlaza.

"As for the pears, there should be a period of decline noted, starting from the first days of November, for the variety Abate, primarily because the volumes are slightly higher than expected but also because the high prices registered at the start limited the sales, as usual," says Minguzzi, whose company exports both Williams and Abate pears overseas, especially in North America.

According to Minguzzi , the decline in prices - which is determined also by the presence of batches which were not kept in a controlled atmosphere and not treated with Smart Fresh - will probably last until early January.

"As regards kiwifruits, there’s nothing to fear: the quality is good and volumes are similar to those of last year, at the national level. In Emilia –Romagna, the decrease is in the range of 20-25%. As far as we are concerned, the good quality and the above average size of the fruit will allow us to easily face the best months, from February onwards. Due to the excellent quality of our kiwifruits, both those with yellow and green flesh, we already started shipping in America and in Asia," says the president of the OP.

The season has been good also for the apples, which are mostly Fuji and Pink Lady. “The only flaw that can be found this year is related to the fruit size, which is not great, but the quality of the fruits is optimal,” said Giancarlo Minguzzi. We address the Fuji apples to the domestic market and the Pink Lady apples to the European market. Soon, we will also start with the overseas shipments. Regarding prices, there could be some pressure for the small calibers, while there shouldn’t be any problems for large sized apples.”

Contacts:
Minguzzi Spa consortile
Via Reale, 160
48011 Alfonsine (RA)
Tel.: (+39) 0544 81260
Fax: (+39) 0544 80709
Email: info@minguzzi.it

Publication date: Wed 4 Dec 2013