Sicily: In the last 10 years demand-supply ratio has leveled out

Sicilian trader Rosario Vasile, “at the moment, at the fruit and vegetable market in Vittoria (Italy) we are selling fruit and vegetables cultivated in greenhouses, such as courgettes, cherry tomatoes, vine tomatoes, melons, red, yellow and green peppers”.

“The demand-supply ratio has flattened out over the last 10 years”, continues Vasile. “No variation has been recorded: prices are not lower or higher. They are just forcing small farms to close down and medium farms to make four out five workers redundant.”

About the weather conditions the trader says: “The production cycle was good thanks to the warm winter. Average temperatures in the period December 2011-February 2012 were about 6°C at night and about 12°C in the day.”

As for foreign competition, Vasile underlines some isolated dumping actions at the fruit and vegetable market in Vittoria for products coming from North Africa (yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, red vine tomatoes and artichokes). “The situation is different in wholesale markets in North and Central Italy which are suffering much more from foreign products.”

Main sale markets for Rosario Vasile's company are all the wholesale markets in Central-South Italy.