"The year 2023 is definitely a special one for watermelons. The weather has been crucial. First, there was a mild winter, then there was rain in February that somewhat complicated the planting of seedlings. In addition, there were hailstorms in the Calabrian province of Crotone that made it difficult to plant. The first seedlings were planted there around 15 March. That's about three weeks later than usual. Then, we were by no means in a good place with the drought in March and April, and in May we suffered heavy rains again," says Iolanda Turrà, administrative manager of the cultivation company of the same name in the southern Italian province of Crotone.
Iolanda and Giovanni Turrà
The company specializes in watermelon and fennel production grown over 230 hectares in the province of Crotone, Calabria, and another 150 hectares in collaboration with the Lella Tommaso farm in Ginosa, Apulia. The watermelon harvest usually runs from June to late August.
"In Ginosa we recorded 300 mm of rain in the last two and a half months. This has had a negative impact on the crops and made cultivation operations more difficult, as the fields were completely flooded," continued Turrà, who added that it will be difficult to recover what has been lost. "In recent years, we have invariably been able to start the mini-watermelons in polytunnels in the second week of June and then proceed with the regular watermelons. This year we hope to start the season on 10 July, but everything will depend on the temperatures. In recent days, the temperature increased to an average of 30-32°C, but bad weather is still expected."
Turrà foresees a concentration of supply later in the season, although no high returns per acre are expected. "However, we are confident and hope to be able to fill the gap that has opened up, as the tunnel and outdoor crops will overlap. Currently there is limited availability of watermelon from other origins and prices are high."
"In addition to domestic sales, we also export to France, Germany, the
Czech Republic, Poland and the United Kingdom. Where possible, we are going to fulfill all agreements with loyal customers. We have already received many orders. Our Calabresella brand has been successful for two years now."
"In the markets where we are present, Greece is the main competitor at the start of the season. But we somehow managed to solve that problem, because we have a multi-year partnership with a Greek company that grows watermelons to our specifications.
In any case, watermelons grown in Italy are well appreciated on the market and consumers are already eagerly waiting for them," concluded Turrà.
Photos provided by Iolanda Turrà
For more information: www.agricolaturra.com/it