As Christmas approaches, there is an increased demand for strawberries from Basilicata. "Deliveries for the holidays began a few days ago, but most orders will be shipped by mid-week 51, with continued supplies until Epiphany, both in Italy and abroad. Prices remain high, more than €2.00 per 250-gram tray. The real problem is the difficulty in meeting all the requests, not only because the fruits ripen too late, but also because the weather has not been very favorable so far," said Luca Zuccarella, commercial director of growers' organization Zuccarella. Based in Scanzano Jonico, Italy, the organization has more than 30 hectares of strawberry crops and a commercial calendar of more than 10 months.
Fortuna strawberries
"We started the 2021/22 season one month ago and the interest is unabated, to the extent that the demand is exceeding the supply. Currently, the early Fortuna variety is being harvested, but we have also started the first batches of the Ispire strawberries."
“The crops are in excellent conditions. The plant has a good leaf apparatus and the pollination is apparently ideal. There is no lack of fruit and new flowers, but the difficulty lies in speeding up the strawberry coloring process. This is due to the unfavorable weather conditions of the past few weeks, which were characterized by rather cool temperatures and few sunny days. The Siberian cold wave that is expected could slow down growth and ripening. All of this delays the harvest and reduces availability at a time when demand is high."
The producers' organization Zuccarella uses different packaging and formats to market the strawberries. "It is up to the customer to decide the number of grams (250, 400 and 500) and the type of material (plastic, cardboard or pulp) they prefer, although we always try to guide and sensitize the buyers towards sustainable packaging."
For more information:
OP Zuccarella Soc. Coop. Agr.
Via Parisi, 16 - Scanzano Jonico (MT)
+39 0835 418009
info@opzuccarella.it
opzuccarella.it