The massive rainfall in Italy is not only affecting the Emilia-Romagna region, but also other growing areas in the country.
"The Italian fruit and 
vegetable sector is in a very bad position at the moment. In Emilia Romagna, the main damage is to pears, apples, stone fruit, kiwis, vineyards and cereals. We can partly compensate for this with imports from other areas such as Calabria, Sicily or Apulia, but we cannot source certain early stone fruit varieties elsewhere," Emanuela Martella (on the right in the picture), buyer and seller at Ögema GmbH, tells us when asked.
The company, based in Mammendorf, is dedicated to the procurement and marketing of organically produced fruit and vegetables. A significant part of the product range comes from Italian cultivation, according to Martella, who is currently on site in Sicily to inquire about the situation of producers there.
"In Sicily, the hurricane, as well as the heavy rains of the last few days, have caused severe damage to spring and summer production. Heavy damage is also recorded on crops with a lot of herbage. To make matters worse, Etna is currently active again and some of the citrus plants in the immediate vicinity of the volcano are already covered in ash. Fortunately, the citrus campaign is already behind us."
Damage to property on the island of Sicily.
In addition to Italy, Ögema GmbH also counts Spain and Tunisia among its most important sourcing countries. Says Martella, "We are now importing more apricots from Spain, whereas normally the focus is clearly on Italy." The tight supply situation is also reflected in the price, she said.
"Due to a lack of availability, Italian potatoes and carrots are trading at exceptionally high prices. For stone fruits, the impact will only be seen later in the season, as early prices are relatively high even in normal conditions." In the Italian cherry-growing region of Puglia, she said, the omens are also rather poor due to the excess rainfall.
Unbroken demand, lack of availability
Despite alarming media reports about inflation and buying restraint, sales of organic fruits and vegetables are roughly similar to last year, the organic buyer continues. "We primarily supply natural food retailers and are observing quite stable demand in this market segment. For certain products, such as broccoli and cauliflower, we have simply been able to move less volume, which is not so much due to a drop in demand, but to the lack of availability," Martella concludes.
Images: Ögema GmbH
Weitere Informationen:
Emanuela Martella
Ögema GmbH 
Wankelstraße 5
82291 Mammendorf
T: (0049) 81459982133
Fax: (0049) 814599821
Email: [email protected]
www.oegema.de