The stone fruit campaign has started in Sicily, in the area between Ragusa and Catania. The fruit in greenhouses is practically ready to be harvested, and operations started on week 15 with nectarines.
FreshPlaza has talked about it with Franco D'Angelo from OP Agrologica, which produces and commercializes organic produce.
Franco D'Angelo
"Fruits look regular and in line with our standards. We are just waiting a few days for them to reach the right ripening level to fully satisfy our partners and final consumers," reports D'Angelo.
"We will then harvest our peaches, whose production is also in line with expectations. Of course it's too early to make an assessment from a commercial point of view, however volumes are lower on a regional - and probably, national - scale due to the sudden temperature drops. The lack of produce is even more accentuated when it comes to organic productions, at least in Sicily. Apricots in particular have experienced setting problems due to the insufficient number of chill hours in winter. We therefore expect prices to be rather high."
"Qualified productions will probably benefit from this, as they usually do well when the produce is lacking. Our main channels continue to be abroad as, although Italian consumers have become more aware over the past few years, organic productions continue to struggle to find their place on supermarket shelves. Quality, which does not always translate into a perfect appearance, is still put in second place with respect to price."
For further information: 
Franco D'Angelo
Agrologica OP S.A.R.L
C/da Coffa - Zona Ind/le, SNC
97012 Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG) - Italy
+39 337499637
+39 0932 922473
[email protected]
www.opagrologica.it