One of Italy's main pomegranate producers is looking ahead to the next harvest, which will begin in early September for the earlier varieties such as Ako, and then continue in October and November for the more common Wonderful. Dario De Lisi, sales manager at Masseria Fruttirossi, provides some data just a few weeks before the start of the harvest.
Ako variety pomegranates.
Located in Castellaneta Marina, Apulia, the modern packaging and processing plant for juices under the brand name 'Lome Super Fruit' - 100% pure cold-pressed pomegranate juice with no added sugar, preservatives or colouring, and not from concentrate - is surrounded by 400 hectares of its own orchards with 200,000 trees.
Blossom attached - Wonderful variety.
"The next harvest is expected to produce over 5,000 tons of pomegranates, around 40 per cent more than the 3,500 tons produced last year. "This is an important result that will allow us to plan the development of the marketing of fresh fruit and also to meet the demands of buyers who showed great interest in our production last year. We also have about seven thousand square metres of cold storage, more than half of which is controlled atmosphere, where we can store a large part of the harvest. This allows us to guarantee our customers a steady supply and to avoid entering the market at times when supply is most concentrated."
"The increased availability is due both to some younger plants, planted about three years ago, which began to yield, and to improved weather conditions compared to last year. "In 2023," continues De Lisi, "there were twenty days of continuous rain in June alone, which led to high levels of humidity in the fields, which reduced flower pollination and fruit set, causing a drop in yields."
"This year the months of June and July were very hot, as usual at this latitude, and not very rainy, which on the one hand prevents excessive humidity, but on the other hand creates other problems linked to the prolonged drought. The reservoirs of Puglia and Basilicata were not able to supply the necessary water, nor were the aquifers that feed our wells."
However, solutions are not lacking. "We installed automatic irrigation systems with hygroscopic probes in the ground that allow us to supply our plants the right amount of water at the right time, reducing consumption. But at these high temperatures, water is never enough. We are in need of more water, and what little water we have is even muddy, which causes problems for our pipes. But we remain optimistic, and we are looking forward to a great season ahead."
For more information:
Masseria Fruttirossi
C.da Terzo Dieci snc
74011 Castellaneta (Taranto) - Italy
+39 099 9647688
[email protected]
lomesuperfruit.com