On Thursday 23 January 2025, the last batch of Comune clementines left the processing warehouse of Martucci Srl, a company that has been packaging and selling citrus fruits in Italy and Europe, and especially in eastern countries, for over 30 years.
"We stopped harvesting a few days ago because the percentage of waste was too high, even exceeding 40%, meaning costs would be too high, making it uneconomical to process the goods. The heavy rains of the past few weeks have damaged the fruits, which now present swollen skin and mostly soft flesh. Clementines are therefore no longer exceptional and foreign markets have started to look elsewhere, sourcing citrus fruits from Turkey, for example," reports Marcello Urgese, the company's quality control manager.
For Martucci, the clementine campaign ended 20 days early. "It was a satisfying and intense, albeit short, season. We sold over 1,800 tonnes abroad, of which around 1,000 in Poland and Hungary. Every year, the marketing period tends to become shorter: in fact, while we were able to process clementines until late February in the past, in recent years it has become difficult to guarantee supplies for the whole of January. This is due to climate change, with the associated weather problems."
The citrus season now continues with Tarocco oranges, which started well with good prices. "The first supplies have started and we have sent 2 trucks to Albania. There is no lack of produce, however we are indeed perceiving the competition of other traders, who are offering higher prices in order to secure the batches. At the moment, the field prices for the Tarocco variety start from 0.40 €/kg and go up, depending on quality and grade."
For more information:
Martucci Srl
Via Chiatona,
74016 Massafra (TA) - Italy
+39 338 2620262
[email protected]
martucci.info
