Produce hoarding started right from the beginning, in fact products in storage units were already on sale in September 2012.
This situation led to a decrease in demand which, combined with economic crisis, did not spare a traditionally 'poor' product such as the potato.
According to Renzo Ferrari, owner of Castelnuovo Scrivia's (Piedmont) Ferrari Ortofrutticoli, "currently, the stocks of medium-quality national produce in cool storage units are at a minimum, with prices of around €0.38/kg for the Primura variety."
This situation led to a decrease in demand which, combined with economic crisis, did not spare a traditionally 'poor' product such as the potato.
According to Renzo Ferrari, owner of Castelnuovo Scrivia's (Piedmont) Ferrari Ortofrutticoli, "currently, the stocks of medium-quality national produce in cool storage units are at a minimum, with prices of around €0.38/kg for the Primura variety."
"As regards the French produce, prices reached €0.40/kg due to high demand coming from Spain and England. New potatoes from the Mediterranean area are a different matter: in Sicily, the starting price at origin is of €0.47-0.48/kg (Giarre) and €0.60/kg (Syracuse), while in Israel prices hover around €0.50-0.55, though according to estimates, they will rise."
The same goes for golden and white onions. Stocks are really low (white onions are almost finished), with prices for the refrigerated produce hovering around €0.45-0.50/kg, and we can only count on foreign golden onions with an average increasing price of €0.22-0.25/kg.
"We must stress how demand has decreased by 50% at the moment, though there is an inflation effect due to the reduction of yields, so low supply pushes prices upwards, the opposite of what would be expected with such low demand."
"Competition from abroad strongly affects the local produce, especially for potatoes, and France has the main role thanks to its high quality abundant produce, with prices (up until last month) constantly hovering around €0.40/kg."
"Competition with Germany is less worrying. Its produce in medium-quality with lower prices, but in this case we are talking about uncleaned produce."
Despite a lower yield per hectare, the manager announced he is confident about the future, also because of a 50,000 ton production in 2012 (potatoes and onions) and because of the medium-high quality of the produce.
"Though I can't hide the fact that I am a bit concerned about the 2013 campaign both in terms of quantity and quality. Sowing is late because of the weather and many producers are not willing to plant potatoes any more," concludes Ferrari.
"Though I can't hide the fact that I am a bit concerned about the 2013 campaign both in terms of quantity and quality. Sowing is late because of the weather and many producers are not willing to plant potatoes any more," concludes Ferrari.
Contacts:
Renzo Ferrari
Ferrari ortofrutticoli
Tel.: (+39) 0131 826223
Fax: (+39) 0131 8555777
Cell.: (+39) 335/6538545
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ferrariortofrutticoli.it
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ferrari-Ortofrutticoli/257746652686
