Everyone knows cold temperatures are what mostly stimulate the consumption of citrus fruit, though the trend of these first few days seems positive for the first clementines.
Luca Zuccarella, sales manager at O.P. Zuccarella, a cooperative from Scanzano Jonico (Matera) that commercialize citrus fruit and strawberries for good part of the year, commented on the start of the new season.
"We cannot complain, I thought things would go worse, considering that temperatures are still mild. The situation is definitely better than 12 months ago. Demand and the enthusiasm of operators are not lacking, not even for clients operating in central or southern regions where the fall season still seems far away. We started supplying our clementines to a few supermarkets at the start of the week. We are gradually starting with wholesalers too. Volumes are of course limited, at the moment, we are talking about 15 tons/day."
The citrus fruit season at the cooperative started at least 10 days late compared with 2022. The abnormal weather does not help fruit coloring, as the temperature range is not suitable. "We are harvesting and commercializing early varieties Corsica 2 SRA 89, then we will continue with medium ones. This year, we have excluded a few extra-early cultivars as, in the past, they contributed to destabilizing the market already from the start, also due to the high percentage of dry fruits. We would have had the same problem this time too, considering the prolonged warm weather and drought. We are hoping temperatures will drop, as it would not only guarantee suitable colors and an increase in volumes available, but it would also stimulate consumption."
The high costs remain an unknown factor: price hikes are still an emergency that is increasing production and processing costs. "We are not scared by the higher quotations, as we happily pay them to producers, but by the costs that add post-harvesting, which have grown by €0.30-0.35/kg compared with the pre-Covid 19 era. How much should businesses sell fruit for? And, if we consider the various links of the chain, how much should consumers spend? For how long will they be willing to pay more for it, considering their reduced purchasing power?" wonders Zuccarella.
For further information:
OP Zuccarella Soc. Coop. Agr.
Via Parisi, 16 - Scanzano Jonico (MT)
+39 0835 418009
[email protected]
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