Sergio says: "The campaign started very slowly and the sales peak is expected to be in May. We started selling New Potatoes from Siracusa at the beginning of the month of April and we were in the market during the Easter period, a successful time to sell new potatoes."
Potatoes in a chestnut basket, which was a typical packaging years ago.
During the first commercial phase, as Sergio Giardina comments, products were limited, though. This was because there are less areas in Siracusa aimed to the cultivation of new potatoes and due to the bad weather (frost, flooding, rain, the cyclone Athos, etc.) which affected Sicily all through the winter.
"This is the reason why", Sergio observes, "apart from some good early batches, there has been a general delay in the growth which put off the beginning of the main digging in May."
"At the moment we are selling the Arinda variety, while we will be starting the harvest of the Bellini variety, which is the main variety of the potato campaign at our farm, by the first ten days of May."
The area where potatoes are sorted at the plant F.ll Giardinia.
According to Sergio, the income - always due to the weather - is expected to fall. "Despite the availability of Sicilian new potatoes, prices are the same as the last few years because of various reasons, among them: not brilliant consumption, big stocks of tubers kept in cold store from last year, import of new potatoes from Israel, Egypt, Cyprus and Morocco."
"However, we expect the commercial situation will improve in the next few weeks", concludes the business man.
Contact:
Sergio Giardina
Azienda Agricola F.lli Giardina di Salvatore e Silvio Giardina s.s. Soc. agr.
Via Strada Torre Milocca 33
96100 Siracusa - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)93 1722122
Mobile: +39 335 1305406
Fax: +39 (0)93 1722100
Email: [email protected]
The area where potatoes are sorted at the plant F.ll Giardinia.
According to Sergio, the income - always due to the weather - is expected to fall. "Despite the availability of Sicilian new potatoes, prices are the same as the last few years because of various reasons, among them: not brilliant consumption, big stocks of tubers kept in cold store from last year, import of new potatoes from Israel, Egypt, Cyprus and Morocco."
"However, we expect the commercial situation will improve in the next few weeks", concludes the business man.
Contact:
Sergio Giardina
Azienda Agricola F.lli Giardina di Salvatore e Silvio Giardina s.s. Soc. agr.
Via Strada Torre Milocca 33
96100 Siracusa - Italy
Phone: +39 (0)93 1722122
Mobile: +39 335 1305406
Fax: +39 (0)93 1722100
Email: [email protected]