“CIA exaggerated the situation of strawberries in the area of Lucania”

Strawberry production fell by 25-30%, dozens of quintals were destroyed because they had been deformed by sudden changes in temperature over the last two weeks. North Africa is promoting a cut-throat competition by selling strawberries in bulk three times cheaper than Candonga from Metapontino in the Italian market. This is what comes out from the headquarters of Italian Confederation of Farmers (CIA) situated in Scanzano Jonico (Matera, Italy).

FreshPlaza interviewed Carmela Suriano (photo), general manager at Planitalia, which is specialized in multiplication, production and commercialization of plants and fruits of strawberries and other summer fruit.

"The situation the agricultural organization showed had been exaggerated", Carmela says, "the weather affected production and goods but not in the catastrophic terms underlined by the organization."

"The supply has not been constant: quality and prices resulted to be changeable. Despite the fright for the foreign competition, today a low number of strawberries come from the countries of Maghreb and Spain, because the product has not enough shelf life to face the long transport period."

"The real problem is the trend of the market demand", Carmela observes, "which is linked to the low temperature and rain in the North in the last few days. However, this is just a short period of a 5-month campaign!"

Strawberry field at Planitalia in Policoro. (Photo: FreshPlaza Italy).

"Producers from the area of Lucania can count on a variety such as Candonga , which is also in difficult periods, the most demanded type of strawberries. Today in Metapontino, strawberry beds are in good health and the production is exceptional, we trust in the rise in temperature for the recovery of selling."

Contact:
Carmela Suriano
Planitalia Srl
Via Zara, 20
75025 Policoro (MT)
Phone: +39 (0)835 902132
Fax: +39 (0)835 902133
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.planitaliasrl.com