The market situation for Italian Abate Fetel pears can currently be described as 'turbulent'. "Availability has recovered somewhat recently, with prices remaining high and stable," reports Alex Weitgruber, managing director of Vetter Italia GmbH and an exporter specialized in Germany. The former flagship of the Italian fruit industry has lost much of its importance after several consecutive poor harvests. "After 3-4 poor years, many were forced to seek alternatives – including Conference apples from the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as produce from Spain or Turkey – and they reoriented themselves accordingly. This has led to a general decline in demand in the export business."
Weitgruber remembers the all-time low in the 22/23 season. "But even last year, yields were rather weak, which is why we were already through our stocks by the end of January. As things stand, we expect to be able to deliver until the end of February or beginning of March this year." The decline in production is mainly due to the severe climatic challenges, above all the brown marmorated stink bug, he emphasizes. "Furthermore, we are in the premium segment, where the rejects in the sorting process are correspondingly higher. Nevertheless, there are currently enough goods in relation to the modest demand."
Difficult kiwi exports, impending shortages of radicchio and radishes
The Hayward kiwi is also traditionally a strong export article for the Italian fruit industry. Weitgruber: "We usually start exporting in November. Unfortunately, marketing is rather sluggish this year, mainly due to the low prices of Greek goods. We are now hoping for better market conditions in February. In general, we have noticed that Greek kiwi production has increased significantly in recent years, while Italy has had to accept several sharp declines in yield. In this respect, a similar scenario to that in pear cultivation is emerging."
In addition to fruit, the South Tyrolean company also exports a wide range of vegetable products from Italian gardens. The top-selling products include kohlrabi, bunched carrots, endive, radicchio, and radishes. Weitgruber says that a bottleneck is expected for the last two items in the next two to three weeks, which is again due to a production gap.
25 years of agency business
Vetter Italia GmbH celebrated its 25th birthday last year and has been serving a broad customer base in Germany since its origins. "What is challenging for us is the increasing direct purchase of goods from Italy by the food retail industry. This is, of course, disastrous for the classic agency business in which we operate. The focus is mainly on margins and less on the all-round service and advice that we also stand for and will continue to stand for in the next 25 years," says Weitgruber in conclusion.
Photo credit: Vetter Italia GmbH
For more information:
Alex Weitgruber
Vetter Italia GmbH
Feldgatterweg 2
I-39011 Lana / Bolzano
Phone: + 39 335 5291492
Fax: + 39-0471-060699
[email protected]
www.vetter.it
