Marco Babbi works for the Cagliari/Babbi company, specialising in fennel with the Finò brand. He observes that sales are going fine and the market is reactive. However, there were some problems during the production phase because of the high temperatures – which lasted until halfway through November. This resulted in more waste and higher processing costs.
Marco Babbi and Vittorio Cagliari
Babbi, “The produce from Emilia Romagna is finished, and now we are harvesting in Puglia. We had some quality-related problems in the field caused by the wave of humidity. This resulted in a lot of waste both in the field and in the warehouse. Also, the yield was lower than the last times. Even though that does not affect the end-quality of our produce, that means more costs and less production for us".
Babbi says that the market is quite reactive, but prices represent the biggest 'what if'. “I am really disappointed with what I see daily. It seems as if the horticultural sector has no value at all. Some say that all the vegetables should cost max 1 euro/kg to the consumer. We are involved in the production, the processing and the marketing, and therefore we are very much aware of the effort and commitment that every fennel requires".
Babbi makes a prediction, “I think that there will not be much fennel availability in the months to come. This because the sowing was not very successful as the weather was bad. There is the chance that we will experience both a glut and a shortage, and this is not a positive thing, at all. Cagliari&Babbi will keep harvesting in Puglia until the end of the year, and then we will move to Basilicata”.
Info:
Caligari & Babbi srl
Via E. Bevilacqua, 17
Savignano su Rubicone (FC)
Tel.: (+39) 0541 942599
Fax: (+39) 0541 201919
Email: commerciale@ortofruttacaligari.com
Web: www.finocchioitaliano.com