The Acquaviva red onion campaign, branded under Agriconetto, is in its final stages, a little more than 20 days after the start of harvesting and marketing. "The sizes, reduced by almost 50% compared to 2020, in addition to the abundant and constant requests for goods, are forcing us to end the season earlier than expected, with about 2 months in advance, although the areas invested this year are 20% larger. We expect to close in the next few hours," said Giammarco Lionetti, sales manager of the aforementioned Apulian company.
"Due to the lack of rainfall during the bulb's growth and ripening phases, the average sizes did not exceed 500 g this year, which means that more onions had to be packed to reach the ideal weight. In fact, to fill a 7 kg crate, it took between 20 and 25 onions, compared to 7-8 last year, when the average weight was 750-800 g, with peaks as high as 1.3 kg. This also means that once the onions arrived, they were immediately sent to the markets, with no time for storage. In the past few days, national and international customers, already aware of the problem and of the imminent closure of the campaign, have increased their orders, thus creating a (near) sell-out of the 2021 production".
"In the last few hours, we have tried to extend the sales for a few more days by asking local farmers for their availability, but they too have ended well in advance. Although selling prices have increased by 30% compared to last season, revenues are still limited due to higher management costs. For the next season, we will increase the volumes while remaining within the same surface areas. We will reduce the distance between rows and between rows, without affecting the growth of the product in the ground.
For more information:
Agriconetto Srl
Sede operativa - Sp 127 km1
70021 Acquaviva delle Fonti (Ba)
(+39) 389/8286512 – 333/6100998
agriconetto@gmail.com
agriconettosrl.com