Puglia is one of the main cherry producing regions in Italy. "The commercialization of the first 2019 cherries is ready to start in Turi. The campaign will start with the early Bigarreau variety," reports Ignazio Tateo, owner of Tateo srl. "We have just started harvesting early cherries and the final ripening stage on Bigarreau trees will be complete in the next few days."
Cherries are grown all over the Bari province but, according to the testimonies of a few producers, Turi has the ideal soil and weather conditions for this kind of crop.
Although the weather hasn't been so favorable in the past few months, things are not looking too bad for the cherry sector. "Trees seem very healthy and the Bigarreau production seems excellent in terms of shine, crunchiness, grade and flavor."
"Thanks to the recent cooler days, which occurred when fruits were in their final growing and ripening stage, results will be excellent as fruits will develop slower. These constant cool temperature lead to interesting marketable volumes."
“Once the early cherry phase is over, we will start harvesting the Giorgia and Ferrovia varieties. This way and thanks also to our 30 hectares, we can extend our production calendar to the first week of July."
"Prices at the start of the campaign are always unstable and quotations increase and drop depending on a series of economic and climatic situations. Consumption will also be partly determined by the temperatures in the next few days/weeks. The arrival on the market of new fruit is always good news, but slightly higher temperatures could have a positive effect on consumption too."