Sicilian company Master Fruit has been growing Roman artichokes for ten years. The campaign has just started and will continue until Easter, earlier than in Lazio and Campania.
Maurizio Bartolini, sales manager, explains that "the area dedicated to Roman artichokes increases every year. We now have 70 hectares and plan on maintaining it like this, also because it is a quite and expensive and risky crop. We decided to invest in this product because there was nothing else like it in our territory, as growers tend to focus more on the Tema and Spinoso varieties."
The advantage of cultivating this kind of artichoke comes from the fact that it ripens early thanks to the microclimate, compensating for production costs (consider that a single plant can cost up to €1). Transplants are carried out in July and harvesting is between January and Easter. "Even if we calculate invoice payments well, the first returns on the investments come after one year."
Master Fruit plants 300 thousand plants, each producing around 10 artichokes. "Approximately 20%, however, are unsuitable for sale on the fresh produce market or to the processing industry. Yields will not be particularly high this year, as plants were affected by a dry period in October. Quality should be good though, that's why we expect the campaign to be positive."
Prices should also be good, a few cents more than the previous year. "Nothing similar to the increases recorded for other products and caused by the lack of volumes, though. If we could maintain these prices for the entire season, we would be very happy. We really need a good year. When the winter is mild it is a disaster for us, as consumption is slower and produce from the other regions remains on the market. Sicilian artichokes only make sense if they are introduced outside of the normal season."
The other challenge for Sicilian artichokes is represented by those countries, Egypt and Tunisia in particular, which grow the same product during the same period but at lower prices. These two competitors, however, cultivate mainly Violet de Provence.
"One of our strengths is that we can deliver the product 24 hours from harvesting, so our produce is fresh. This can never happen with imported products."
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Master Fruit's main market is Italy, especially retailers in the north-east (Veneto). But the company also exports to France, Germany and Switzerland (20% of the total).
Artichokes are very popular in Italy and are eaten in very different ways that vary from region to region. This is also reflected in the packaging - some want it without leaves with a 15 cm stem, others want it with leaves in bigger or smaller bunches. This year, Master Fruit will introduce pre-cleaned artichokes in trays to meet specific client demands.
"We are quite confident 2017 will be a positive year, because quality should be good."
Contacts:
Master Fruit S.R.L.
C.da Piana Cannelle S/N
92027 Licata (AG)
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.masterfruit.eu
