"Due to a number of factors, mainly climatic, the Syracuse lemon has had a rather slow start. Sicily has been in the grip of a prolonged drought, with peak temperatures of over 40°C and no rain for a long time," says Silvia Magliocco, sales manager for Italy at PASAM Agrumi, of the 2024/25 citrus campaign.
Silvia Magliocco
PASAM Agrumi is a well-known cooperative of agricultural producers involved in the production and marketing of the famous Syracuse lemon PGI. It produces conventional, organic and biodynamic lemons.
The climatic data should give us pause for thought," continues the sales manager, "because these are conditions that were practically predicted, as our island has been experiencing a lack of rain for a long time and summer temperatures are clearly rising; suffice it to say that on 11 August 2021, 48.8°C was recorded in the province of Syracuse. All this, of course, is not without consequences: reduced surface runoff and increasingly dry groundwater, with serious repercussions for all agriculture, with animals drinking from mud, dried up lakes, zero wheat and fodder harvests, slowed production and wells that work non-stop for days to ensure that the fruit grows to a decent size."
Indeed, our farmers have been working for months to achieve quality production, not only from an aesthetic point of view (limiting skin damage), but also to obtain an acceptable size and quantity of product," says Magliocco. The drop in June (which is partially physiological) was very pronounced at these temperatures and resulted in a noticeable drop in production. The pre-ripening period, which takes place during the summer and should lead to the growth of the fruit, was also very late. Our farmers had to irrigate continuously throughout the summer, with very high electricity costs, in order to compensate for these imbalances. It was an unequal battle for many days, as they had to fight against the surface water evaporating due to the very high temperatures," she says.
"All this drought has also led to the appearance, towards the month of September, of the rumple, or wrinkling of the skin, caused by a severe water imbalance," explains the manager. "The symptoms first appeared as irregular, scattered spots on the skin, where the oil glands deform and turn brown; the fruits most affected are obviously those furthest from the foliage, where the sunlight causes severe scorching."
"Nevertheless, over ten years of collaboration with our growers has given us access to more than 300 hectares of lemon groves, all in the Syracuse area," concludes Silvia Magliocco, "and this allows us to offer a competitive and international product. At the moment, the lemons are light green until mid-December. But with the coming temperatures and rainfall, they will reach the right colour, which is yellow. From a commercial standpoint, apart from these agronomic difficulties, we have seen great interest in our lemons from our customers, especially foreign ones. In fact, we were present at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, where we met with large retailers (old and new contacts), with whom we established new collaborations and strengthened existing ones. We will also be present at Fruit Logistica 2025 in Berlin."
For more information: 
Silvia Magliocco
P.A.S.A.M. Agrumi
Soc. Coop. Agricola a r.l.
Produttori Agricoli
Siracusani Associati Magliocco
Tel.: +39 0931 1965420
[email protected]
www.pasamagrumi.it