The deliberate decision to destroy food is among the saddest events that can occur, especially in a complex socio-economic context such as this one. Over the past few years, various producers have performed this gesture out of anger and desperation. FreshPlaza has talked to a producer from Puglia who has chosen to destroy a good part of its celery crop due to its terrible performance.
"The weather has not been favorable, demand has been low, and prices have only reached €0.06/plant compared to the €0.18-0.20/plant of last year. A few days ago, I decided to uproot over 150 thousand plants (almost 2 hectares). Those few intermediaries that come to the fields find a thousand defects and only offer starvation quotations. They only come here to humiliate us. I'd rather destroy the produce than accept this degrading treatment," reports Pasquale Losito, a celery producer from Andria.
The mild weather also affected cultivation as it made August and September transplants overlap. "The high temperatures and sunny days contributed to plants growing almost simultaneously."
"I am sad and resigned, considering how frequent these unpleasant episodes are. And they will repeat if this trend of underestimating produce that final consumers only pay peanuts for continues. I am sorry about all the time I spent away from my family to work. I am asking them to spare us from useless humiliation. It hurts to listen to judgment from people who know very little or nothing about how to cultivate the land."
Pasquale Losito has 200thousand celery plants that are still unsold. "I am looking for serious buyers. I am not asking for much, only for respect for my work, keeping into consideration that average production costs hover around €0.10/plant."
For further information:
Azienda Agricola Losito
Pasquale Losito
+39 380 352 7540