In the northern Italian region of Piedmont, the raspberry harvest started in May. "Our plants are reflorescent, which means we will have about a two-week break between the first harvest cycle in May-June and the second harvest. The season continues through September-October, depending on weather conditions," said one grower. "In May and June, sales have been good, with satisfactory prices. We are talking €9-10 per kilo for the product for retail and even higher prices for wholesale markets."
In mid-June, raspberries of Portuguese origin were selling in Italian wholesale markets at a price of €18.50 per pack. The Italian product reached €20. "Portuguese raspberries were very competitive in terms of prices and so were their blueberries. Then the prices went down. At the end of June our raspberries fetched around €6 per kilo, only to rise to €8 per kilo this week. Soon Polish, Dutch and Belgian product will also be on the market. These are countries that have been investing in soft fruit for years and already have a foothold in our destination markets."
The volumes currently being harvested are very limited. "In two weeks, we will continue with the second production cycle and we expect the peak of the season in August. There is year-round demand for raspberries and consumption is slightly increasing. Still, consumption is higher among people with higher purchasing power."
Finally, the grower points out that many buyers want to keep prices down, especially in a market where foreign products are offered at competitive prices. "It is true that Italian retail does prefer the domestic product, when available. But trying to obtain lower and lower prices for raspberries is not feasible, in my opinion. After all, people are not thinking about the rising cost of cultivation and the substantial investment in cover and infrastructure, just to name a few things."