A reduction in industry tomato crops in the Foggia province - the leading producer area in Italy by hectares (approximately 17 thousand) - is expected for 2024.
The drop in cultivated areas is attributable to the water crisis and the need by supply bodies to rationalize resources. "A 30% drop is expected in the entire area," reports Marco Nicastro, president of Soc. Coop. Agricola Mediterraneo S.p.A. "While entrepreneurs used to have 6 thousand cubic meters of water available per hectare each, they now only have 1.4 thousand cubic meters. Our cooperative will go from the 600 hectares cultivated last year to 400 hectares of oblong and round tomatoes."
The drought is therefore forcing growers to review and limit their programs, which had already been called into question by the usual delays on the framework agreement for the center-south of the country.
Left: Marco Nicastro. Right: tomato crop in the Apricena area (Foggia).
"There is indeed a solution to irrigate Apulian crops: there is an ambitious project that should bring water to Puglia from Molise via a 10 km conduit. The water emergency is a serious and frequent problem that slows down the development of the local economy. Quotations in 2023 hovered between €0.18 and €0.20/kg. For the next season, we are hoping to at least start from similar figures."