First Apulian Ferrovia cherries on the markets: high demand and high prices

It's been a very interesting and rewarding year for cherry growers since the first cuts of the early varieties were made, and it's still going strong with the intermediate varieties that are currently being harvested. Now it is time for the real workhorse of the Apulian cherry season, the Ferrovia cherry.

"The first open-field cuts of Ferrovia cherries took place a few days ago," says Giacomo Giotta, vice-president of the new Sole Terra Puglia cooperative in Conversano (Bari). The market is extremely buoyant, perhaps even more so than a few weeks ago. Demand is coming from all over Italy (and Europe) and we are often unable to supply some customers."

The harvest of the Ferrovia variety started about a week earlier than the previous one. "It is estimated that the product from the south-east of Bari could end in the first ten days of June, thanks to the increasing supplies leaving every day. The product is spectacular, of excellent size, undamaged, with no phytosanitary problems and of uniform colour. Everywhere, the average size of Ferrovia cherries is 26+, with warehouse quotations of no less than 7 €/kg, but in the marketplaces prices are rising up to 25 €/kg."

However, while prices are interesting, yields have been declining. "In the Ferrovia cherry orchards, the production is down by 30 to 50 per cent," explains Giotta. "This reduction is due to the sudden change in temperature last month, which affected fruit set. However, we are still very satisfied with the way things are going."