"The dry weather has had an adverse effect on summer fruit production and, consequently, also on the current citrus fruit campaign. Blonde oranges and early clementines are small in size as a result of the climatic stress the plants have suffered. That's why good-sized produce costs so much," reports Antonio Forcina, owner together with his son Primo, of Forcina Srl, a company located in Fondi, in the Latina province.
"Climate change is becoming more and more evident, even though I remember that such phenomena cyclically repeat. For example, I remember that, twenty years ago, the temperatures at Christmas time were such that it was necessary to irrigate the clementines frequently in Palagiano (TA), in Apulia."
The company handles over 15,000 tonnes of fruit per year, so the processing lines have been modernised in order to cope with the increased production capacity. The warehouse covers an area of 7,000 square metres, of which 3,000 are covered and about 4,000 are outside. It employs around 
50 specialised employees and is equipped with its own vehicles for transporting the products.
Primo Forcina, at the helm of the company that he runs alongside his father Antonio (in the photo to the side), is a young entrepreneur who is enthusiastic about his work: an expert in varieties and biodiversity, he studies the species with passion, constantly keeping up to date on the latest developments in the sector. He is working on many projects and others have already been concluded, starting with the planting of the same crops that marked the first steps in the evolution of the family business.
The company was set up in the 1980s thanks to the 30 years of experience in the fruit and vegetable sector, and has evolved over time thanks to the craftsmanship of its line processing. The work in the countryside in close contact with the producers has also meant that, today, we can speak of a company at the forefront in the processing and marketing of a wide range of fruit and vegetable products: peaches, percoca peaches, Saturn peaches, nectarines, oranges, tangerines, clementines, myagawas, lemons, strawberries, cherries, apricots, plums, Annurca apples, persimmons, broad beans, cauliflowers and Romanesco broccoli.
"Our producers grow fruit mainly in Apulia and Basilicata. We already know that, if it continues not to rain, the citrus campaign risks being compromised next year. Commercially, we started with the first blond oranges on 28 October, with good market feedback. A month later, the markets are flooded due to the fact that produce is coming in from abroad and because our producers want to pick the fruit for fear of the adverse weather. On the other hand, despite the drought, the campaign for early clementines of the Ruby and Orogros varieties went very well. Next we will start with the Sicilian Tarocco in early January, which is the optimal period for blood varieties."
Forcina supplies the Italian big retail chain, wholesale and direct sales channels. More recently, it has conquered the school canteen segment and the H&R channel. As far as exports are concerned, the countries of reference are: Belgium, Poland, France, Germany and Great Britain. Many goods are sent to Eastern Europe, in particular to Slovenia, Croatia and Poland.
For more information:
Forcina Srl
(+39) 0771 513800
(+39) 335 7730696
[email protected]
www.antonioforcina.it