Low prices and difficult sales for organic cabbage, artichoke and fennel

"Broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, beets, artichokes, fennel and celery are the products from organic horticulture which we are currently marketing. We supply most of these crops to European countries, with some orders for Russia and other non-EU countries, but sales are not exciting at all, with prices almost half those of last year," said Rocco Dimallio, Commercial Director of Principe di Puglia, one of the largest producers of organic fruits and vegetables in Puglia.

Antonio Dimallio (left) and Rocco Dimallio (right)

"Consumption is low and we are struggling to sell our products, even at rock-bottom prices. The hospitality industry is buying almost nothing and consumers seem to be keeping their wallets closed. We have maintained the same production levels of the previous campaign, because we believed that the excellent commercial performance of the first months of the pandemic could be repeated this year. We got off to a great start, with orders growing daily, but now we are facing a production surplus. The goods are piling up, while we are trying to postpone the harvest as much as possible".

O.P. Principe di Puglia processing lines

"Fortunately, the weather trend seems to help us, as temperatures are not so high to accelerate the growth of crops. The quality is excellent, maybe even better than other harvests. We are talking about products grown in the north of Puglia, safe and pesticide-free vegetables. 2021 will be the year of rebirth and return to normality, but we could face it better with a healthy and profitable cooperation".

"At Principe di Puglia we do everything we can. We owe it to the dozens of growers who do their utmost every day to guarantee the freshness, continuity and reliability of the products. We would like to thank them and our customers for their support and the trust they place in us every day, especially in these difficult times," concluded Rocco.