The cherry campaign has already started in the Apulian fields. "The quantities are scarce due to the late March frosts and the continuous rains that occurred ten days ago, particularly in the area of Bisceglie, where 50% of the Bigarreau variety were lost Moreover, in the areas of Conversano the ripening of the fruit is late in coming." This is what was reported by Nicola Coniglio, owner of the Coniglio di Adelfia (BA) farm. In addition to Bigarreau, the cultivars available at the moment, although in more limited quantities, are Early Lory, Sweet Early and Rita.
"On a commercial level, we're operating with the handbrake on. Production prices are very high, about 10 euro/kg, with an average of 14 euro/kg in delivery, post-processing and packaging, depending on the size - continued the entrepreneur - At the moment, we are selling most of the available volumes in the Italian wholesale markets. Some large-scale retail chains have shown interest, but there is still not enough continuity of supply to work with proper planning".
For the next few weeks, Coniglio is hoping in a rise in temperatures, which will boost ripening and consumption. "It's still too cold at night. In order to best satisfy our customers, we need consistency of supply." The peak of the season will be between 25 May and 15 June.
The cherry sector of Puglia/Italy lives under a sword of Damocles hanging by Turkey competitors. "If large volumes of Turkish cherries are not yet arriving on European markets, there is some chance for the Italian product to be marketed. Otherwise, we will not be able to be competitive in terms of prices. At that point, the only hope remains the internal market," explained Coniglio.
The company's primary goal is to guarantee high quality and safety standards and a non-stop improvement of all processes. "About 3 years ago, we invested in the purchase of the Cherry Vision Technology 2 Unitec sizer, which allows us to meet the different market needs and to satisfy the growing demand for safe, tasty and high quality products - concluded Coniglio. "The optical sorting of the line allows us, especially now at the time of the Covid-19, to provide the market with an impeccable product in terms of color homogeneity and quality standards".