On the one hand, we have a niche yet very sought-after product, such as jujubes, which has been enjoying great success in the big retail chain sector over the past couple of years . On the other had, there is the bad weather that hit the whole of Emilia Romagna (17-19 September) and slowed down both the development of the vegetables and their harvest.
"It is not an easy moment for us," explains Emile Fellini, company manager of Fellini Patrizio of Gambettola (Forlì-Cesena). "We are very happy for the success of jujubes, a product that is available in pots to be eaten as a snack, but are worried about the vegetable campaign.
Quantities are low and harvesting has been hindered by the incessant rainfall since Tuesday 17 September, while customer demand is steady if not increasing, as there is little produce throughout Italy.
Harvesting operations are difficult with a wet soil (Az Ag. 67, September 19, 2024)
"We are doing everything we can to continue with harvesting operations and I must thank our team of field workers. Unfortunately, today (September 19, ed.) we had to interrupt the harvesting of celery after a few hours, as the tractors could not get out of the fields because of the mud. This means that we will not be able to fulfill all the orders coming in because there are not enough vegetables available.
This situation will continue for several weeks: the July transplants suffered two months of very high temperatures with no temperature difference between day and night, and this has caused a slowdown in development.
"Despite everything," Fellini points out, "we will start harvesting Romagna lettuce over the next few days. We have transplanted many hectares and,thanks to the drainage of the soil, the crops have not suffered due to the excess water. We are opting for drainage for water regulation in many plots and, especially in critical conditions like today, this is proving to be the right choice."
For more information:
FelliniPatrizio S.r.L.
Via G. Pascoli, 875
47035 Gambettola (FC) - Italy
+39 0547 659 777
[email protected]
www.fellinipatrizio.it