It's a complicated year for fioroni figs in Puglia due to the weather.
"While the campaign of fioroni fruits is often already short with limited availability, the situation is looking even more complex this year as there will be a 50% drop in quantities of the green Petrelli and black Domenico Tauro varieties. The season would already be in full swing in the past years, but we are expecting a 10 day delay with the first crates that only arrived on June 14th," explains Michelangelo De Chirico, sales manager of the company from Molfetta (Bari).
Green Petrelli fioroni figs (Photo provided by Michelangelo De Chirico)
"Fruits look nice, with large grades above average due to the abundant rain. The same goes for the Domenico Tauro varieties, the processing of which will start on June 15th, weather permitting."
"As for the Domenico Tauro variety, the temperature changes in March-April caused fruitlet drops, then there was the abundant rain of the last period and the risks caused by the heavy downpours of the past few days. Of course all these factors have also been crucial for the shelf-life of the Petrelli variety."
De Chirico stresses in fact that abundant rain is not good for fioroni during ripening, "as it leads to reduced shelf-life and cracking."
While Petrelli figs remain on the Italian market, Domenico Tauro ones are shipped abroad, mainly to France and Germany. "I believe exported quantities will be low, if we manage to reach the minimum volume necessary at all. Demand is high for both varieties and, considering the drop in production, prices will be high throughout the campaign."
For further information: www.dechiricopuglia.it