In Sicily fruit orchards have been irrigated for several months now

"Every citrus campaign has its setbacks and the current one is no exception. However, we are still optimistic because our oranges, especially the red-fleshed clones, are still in great demand. The mild temperatures of these days are certainly not helping us to preserve the fruit. We are irrigating. This is increasing production costs, and we are worried about drought for the next campaign." Lucio Oliveri, sole director of the Sicilian Motta Cooperativa Agricola, says: "The star of our production is still our Tarocco Lempso with extra red flesh, which we market under the Il Fragolino brand."

Located in the fertile plain of Motta Sant'Anastasia (CT - Sicily, Italy), Motta's cultivated areas extend for a total area of 230 hectares. The citrus fruits are free from any kind of treatment and are processed in a large factory which has the most modern cold storage facilities, a large warehouse and three new processing lines.

The cooperative's sales are mainly concentrated in the domestic market, while in the northern European markets it is mostly present with the pigmented varieties (Tarocco, Lempso and Ippolito). Orders for the product in foreign markets are growing by an average of 20% a year, especially in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden and the Netherlands, which are very sensitive to non-surface-treated products that are grown in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

The characteristics of Fragolino include a high sugar content of around 13-14 degrees Brix, a long shelf life and a certain resistance to damage due to the intrinsic properties of the rind. This makes this variety of Tarocco very attractive in some markets, especially when exported to more distant destinations.

"The 2023/24 campaign, as we expected, was marked by very significant complications, mainly due to the effects of climate change; the drought caused great stress to the plants, whose fruit is characterized by a smaller size."

In order to communicate a product that says something about our territory," concludes Lucio Oliveri, "we have strengthened the online channel www.arancedagustare.eu in recent years. This channel complements our traditional sales channel and has the advantage of shortening the supply chain, allowing us to be closer to the end customer. We aim to reach every household, guaranteeing them a fresh product delivered within hours of harvest. The short supply chain helps us to have a personal and direct relationship with the end consumer, which fosters a relationship of trust between producer and consumer."