"Only a few more days left and then we will start harvesting the late varieties Farbela and Farbaly. We will give the market a little more time to absorb the mid-late apricots, such as Kioto and Lady Cot. We expect to start around 10 July and then finish by early August. The harvest of the late varieties seems to be going to be more productive than what has been on the market so far, because the late apricots have been less affected by adverse weather conditions. We are very excited because the supply of summer fruits is not particularly high," said Francesco Dipinto, an apricot grower with more than 9 hectares in Rotondella, in the southern Italian province of Matera.
Farbela apricots
"Farbela and Farbaly have excellent shelf life, pleasant taste and good sizes (the smallest size is 40 mm). Prices this year are starting at €1.50 per kilo."
Francesco Dipinto
There are not very many orchards with late apricots in the Basilicata region. In fact, most crops are early and/or medium-late varieties, such as Mogador, Pricia or Flopria. However, Dipinto wanted to diversify its cultivation and bring it more in line with market demand and therefore decided to reduce the acreage of the varieties that in normal years suffer from oversupply on the market.
Nelson apricots
"We invested in late varieties, which now represent more than half of our acreage. We had the first crop in 2021 and noticed growing interest from customers, more than expected. Not only are sales satisfactory, Farbela and Farbaly are also easier to grow, which is an advantage in times when there is a lack of workforce. We certainly want to continue on the path of innovation and modernity. For example, last year we grafted the Nelson variety onto Sugartime peach rootstocks. Next weekend, we will start harvesting. The yields are still low, around 20/30 kg per plant."
For moer information:
Ingrosso ortofrutticolo Dipinto Pino
francesco.dipinto@icloud.com
+39 3467448026