Recent data on climate change shows that this fall is the warmest in the last 100 years. This is an unusual situation that is proving to be very difficult for the citrus fruit season in the Taranto Gulf region – the land of the PGI clementine. The current weather makes harder for the fruit to reach the right colour-level.
The Maraglino Agrumi production manager Gianni Maraglino: “This is an unusual situation. Last year, in this period, we were already harvesting and processing. Today, I do not think this campaign will kick off positively”.
Although the quantity and the quality are guaranteed, the bad weather is affecting not only the fruit colouring but also the market demand.
“Probably, the market will be literally submerged by this produce, in the first ten days of December. This quantity should be marketed now. As a consequence, the price will be inevitably lower – currently, it is around 40 cents/kg.
The price drop is caused also by the big quantities coming from foreign countries (Spain and Turkey) which surely do not help Italian producers.
“The harvesting of the Fedele clementine has been postponed of a week, at least. Also, other varieties are experiencing such a delay, for which the harvesting would be already ended.
Maraglino: “The situation is slightly more positive for early oranges. There are no issues for the Navel variety, for instance”.
However, this situation is expected to improve. Next week, indeed, temperatures should be lower than 10°C compared to these last few days.