Weather permitting, the mountain strawberry campaign that started around a week ago in the heart of the Sila, near lake Cecita, will last until 15th November.
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Società agricola Scrivano covers over 50 hectares and also grows PGI potatoes, vegetables destined to the fresh-cut industry and nursery plants.
"We started harvesting Albion strawberries around a week ago. The produce is looking good - the month of May was a little cold, but temperatures are increasing and they favor production. The fruit is cultivated on 4 hectares of protected crops and is collected by Apofruit," explains Sandro Scrivano.
"We renewed our crop last year and planted new plants in April to be harvested in July. We should be harvesting for an additional month, so we are hoping in higher yields."
PGI potatoes from Sila
"In the case of potatoes too, the heat in June made it possible to recover the damage caused in May. The soil got warmer favoring the development of tubers. Transplants were delayed, but we managed to recover, so we can now say we are in line with previous years. Harvesting should start in September." Potatoes are grown on 38 hectares. The varieties part of the PGI specification are Agria, Maribel, Desirée and Nicola. Organic produce is also available.
Harvesting of organic PGI potatoes from Sila - October 2018
As regards vegetables, Scrivano grows radicchio, sugarloaf chicory, endive, iceberg and Roman lettuce. "We started transplanting in early June, with a bit of a delay due to the bad weather., then we will harvest between July and September. The entire production, which is grown on 15 hectares, is under contract with fresh-cut businesses."
Labor and water resources are the main challenges
"Every year, it gets more and more difficult to find labor. Not so much for potatoes, but mostly for strawberries and vegetables. It is not a question of prices or payments, there is just not enough people. Water is the second main problem as, despite the fact that Sila has dedicated basins and lakes, irrigation systems cannot be used due to bureaucratic and political delays. We are forced to pump water, which of course costs more."
Nursery activities in cooperation with NSG
"Before producing strawberries, we were a nursery garden, but we had abandoned said activity as the varieties were not doing well on a commercial level. Last year, we got in touch with Nova Siri Genetics (NSG) and have since set up a nursery with mother plants. Our area is particularly suitable for nursing plants and we are looking to expand next year."
Contacts:
Sandro Scrivano
Società agricola Scrivano
C.Da Vaccarizzo
87050 Spezzano della Sila (CS)
Cell.: +39 337 236457
Email: info@terredaltopiano.it
Website: www.terredaltopiano.it