"It is precisely in emergency situations such as this one that ethical companies make the difference. I am not only talking about the stability of prices which, in our case, have remained unvaried despite the lively market demand and the problems linked to logistics. More in general, the responsibility with which our workers are dealing with the work overload to supply Italian families is emerging. The service provided by small and large businesses in every link of the chain to the community has never been so visible," reports Vincenzo Bucciero, sales manager for F.lli Bucciero Srl, a company specializing in the commercialization of high-quality potatoes under the PATATI' brand.
Over the years, Bucciero has managed to deal with the lack of domestic produce by importing around 70% of volumes mainly from France. The many types available include white, yellow, red and even purple potatoes in the washed or unwashed versions."
"Over the past few years, the Italian potato segment suffered from lack of innovation, but we have been implementing innovative practices and techniques and, weather permitting, we should see the results in a few months' time."
"The harvest of June and July will enable us to assess quality and yields also in relation to the weather. At the end of March, for example, some areas in Campania (Marigliano, Nola and Acerra) were affected by frost, which may lead to lower yields and smaller grades."
"As for consumption, demand has grown over the past two months. The same goes for late citrus fruit and apples, i.e. all those products that can be stocked."
"We lost the H&R market but sales have been livelier in supermarkets with an increase in demand for small 2 and 2.5 kg packets rather than for the 18 kg bags usually destined to the H&R sector. This is to say that it is not that the market has grown, but rather that is has just shifted. The workload was heavy in late March due to Covid-19 with sacrifices and unearthly working hours for our employees, to whom we always guaranteed safe conditions.
The domestic produce comes from Avezzano in Abruzzo and from Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Veneto, Puglia and Sicily. 70% of the volumes commercialized comes instead from France.
"We are managing the current situation rationally. There have been no big problems in general other than logistic problems, especially when it comes to collecting the foreign produce. This is why we have started working with new road transport companies. Fewer collections are made, mainly because it is more difficult to find drivers but also because health checks are slowing down the traffic of goods."
Contacts:
F.lli Bucciero Srl
Via Georges Claude, 28
81100 Caserta (CE) - Italy
Tel.: (+39) 0823 403043
Cell.: (+39) 333 7508996
Email: info@fratellibucciero.it
Website: www.patatibyfratellibucciero.it