The season of Sicilian canary yellow melons grown between the Palermo and Trapani provinces is going well, and the overall quality is exceptional. In this area, soil and weather conditions seem to be ideal for the cultivation of this product. FreshPlaza talked about prices and production together with Tommaso Ciaccio and Franco Altamore from Sicilia Bedda.
"After an excellent start for the produce in polytunnels in late May, we started harvesting the fruits in open fields a few days ago. The favorable climate has led to good yields and overall organoleptic quality,"explain the entrepreneurs from Roccamena (PA).
Grades and distribution channels
"Grades hover between 1.5 and 3 kg. Smaller fruits up to 2.2 kg are requested by big retail chains, while larger ones are sold to wholesale markets all over Italy. Melons are destined mainly to Italy, but some quantities are shipped abroad," reports Ciaccio.
How will production continue?
"We still have 100 hectares to harvest between now and October to meet the demands of our usual clients, who keep calling us to ensure their supplies of fruit guaranteed by the Sicilia Bedda brand."
Production prices and future challenges
"This year, production prices have been excellent, especially in the beginning with quotations reaching €1/kg in May. We have now dropped slightly to €0.50/kg. These prices are satisfactory and we are hoping they can keep like this for the whole summer. Despite the availability of summer products, we firmly believe in the added value of canary yellow melons."
"We are a modern company and we are continuously looking for something capable of stimulating the market and favor consumption trends. This is why we have been testing a new melon variety whose fruits look like canary yellow melons (see the photo) but have a color, aroma and texture similar to Cantaloupe melons. We are curious to see what the reaction of our commercial partners will be, but we are sure they will be thrilled with this new addition."
Contacts:
Az. Agr. Sicilia Bedda SS
di Altamore Franco e Ciaccio Tommaso
Tel.: +39 388 355 2614
Tel.: +39 333 450 6664
Email: siciliabedda@legalmail.it
Website: www.melonisiciliabedda.it