Southern producers are placing their bets on a new lemon variety, Summer Prim®, a cultivar managed by CVVP (Compañía de Variedades Vegetales Protegidas A.I.E.) and for which Comercial Gallo obtained exclusive distribution rights for Italy on a limited number of hectares (500 hectares).
In the Metaponto area, ideal for the cultivation of citrus fruit, an entrepreneur planted the first Summer Prim® trees. Lemons have unique organoleptic qualities, grades and commercial calendar (March to June).
"For over 40 years, we have been studying the soil and weather conditions in our area to obtain high-quality productions. As soon as we learned of this new cultivar, we had to test it, so we decided to plant around 700 trees coming directly from Spain," explains Francesca Benevento, owner of Villaggio Sant'Antonio in Policoro (Matera).
"We currently have over 16 hectares of lemon groves of the Fino, Verna and Eureka varieties. Although we manage to cover good part of the calendar, there is a gap right when demand increases. This is why we decided to plant Summer Prim which ripens extra-late and has a good shelf-life."
"The layout is 5 meters between rows and 2.50/70 meters between plants. Tests carried out in Spain promise excellent results. My production will start already on the third year and, in the fifth, it could exceed 100 kg of production."
Other groves are located in the Taranto province as well as in the Syracuse and Catania areas. Numerous other groves are planned for 2020.
"Companies start to perceive the added value of investing on innovative patented varieties that lead to a profit. Based on the results of our clients, we are pleased with our work over the years to bring innovation and opportunities to Italy, although we are aware that a lot still needs to be done," states Comercial Gallo.
Contacts:
Comercial Gallo
Sp 103 c.da Furnoli
74016 Massafra (TA) Italy
Tel.: +39 335 5332359
Email: info@comercialgallo.com
Website: comercialgallo.com