The first sales of Rojo Brillante persimmons from the Sibari plain (Calabria), grown by members of the Agrusib cooperative under the Apollo brand, started on October 23rd.
"Commercialization started well and prices are in line with the Spanish ones. Italian persimmons are preferred thanks to their organoleptic qualities. Our produce is available on the domestic market, mainly in the south of the country, with certain grades sent to traditional markets and others to big retail chains," reports Domenico Oriolo, President of the cooperative.
"I expect this season to be in line with last year's sales. We registered a few losses in the colder areas affected by the bad weather in spring, while the warm temperatures until late October had an effect on grades for some batches. Persimmons need a lot of water and, where it was not possible to irrigate orchards, grades are indeed smaller - a 15/20% of produce that is generally sent to the big retail chains in punnets. The remaining 80% boasts satisfactory grades that are demand by traditional markets. What is more, this year, we have registered aggressive attacks by the Mediterranean fruit fly, just like in other areas."
Persimmons are a seasonal products and the commercial window ends in December. "The fruits arrive on the market as a novelty this time of year and are welcomed by consumers, who not necessarily wait for the colder temperatures to purchase them. In fact, although they are a typical fall product, Rojo Brillante persimmons suffer the weather conditions less than citrus fruit."
Agrusib is also starting to harvest the earliest citrus fruit varieties. "It seems to us that there is a lot of interest from foreign countries such as France and Eastern Europe. Despite the production difficulties, we remain optimistic as regards the commercial part. Grades will be smaller during the first part of the campaign due to the drought, as emergency irrigation was not enough."