Italian potatoes are much appreciated on the market. However, a lack of availability, accompanied by conservation problems, means that there is also a lot of space for the foreign product. So said the trade expert Matteo Zanarini.
"The prices are very good - says the expert - both for the national product and for the imported one. The price range is very variable: a few days ago, the Italian quality product was paid up to 38 cents/kg. The fact that anti-budding molecules have been removed has caused some conservation problems".
Several operators, for fear that the product will not hold up until spring, have started to sell and reduce stocks. Large-scale retailers would like the same prices as in September, but this is not always possible, precisely because stocks are decreasing.
"The foreign quality product is very appreciated as well. In the last few days there has been a slight decline, but we are still talking about starting at 18-21 cents, up to 28-32 cents for a washable product. Egypt has announced the arrival within 10 days of second-crop potatoes".
"All the operators - concludes Zanarini - fear for the product's endurance, due to the lack of effective anti-sprouting products. From now on it will be like playing chess. However, I believe that a global information circuit with reliable news is necessary, in order to give operators in the supply chain the opportunity to organize in time to face the difficulties".