Oceania Edition
Italian mango cultivation is becoming more widespread as hotter temperatures and the prospect of higher profit margins is prompting growing numbers of farmers to quit more traditional crops. As the harvest season begins, Italian mango crops covered 1,200 hectares this year, compared to 500 hectares in 2019 and just 10 hectares in 2004.
While small tropical fruit farms have existed on the island of Sicily for decades, production is quickly expanding to other southern regions such as Puglia and Calabria. Francesco Bilardi from Reggio Calabria began planting mango, avocado and passion fruit trees in 2020 alongside annona plants, which typically grow on the Strait of Messina.
Source: reuters.com
