"There has been some rain this year compared to last year, although drought is still a problem, so much so that Sicily has been declared an area at risk of aridity and desertification. Our Sicilian oranges, especially the pigmented varieties, are in great demand for a whole series of factors that derive from the nature of the volcanic soil and the climate. It would be a pity if such valuable production were to suffer in the future," explains Pascal Altieri, owner and sales manager of Altieri Giacomo & Figlio, when discussing the difficult moment the citrus fruit sector is going through.
The Altieri family markets citrus fruits obtained from 80 hectares of its own land and purchased from local companies. It is historically one of the first Sicilian companies to have started exporting citrus fruits to the USA under the 'Fior d'Arancia' brand name. The facility is located in Palagonia (CT), at the foothills of Mount Etna, where a wide range of traditional citrus fruits and new varieties of early and late-pigmented Tarocco, as well as various types of tangerines, are grown on a total area of 2,400 square metres.
"Quality in terms of fruit size and yield varies depending on two specific factors: on the one hand we have those farms that, thanks to the availability of water, have survived the drought and therefore have good produce; on the other hand, there are those farms that were lacking water already in May, so they left the land uncultivated and therefore did not harvest anything, not even produce for the industry. This is the reason why at least 40% of the volumes will be missing. The plants are suffering: it will take at least two years to get them back on their feet, because the root system is very compromised due to the lack of nutrients."
"We started marketing the blond varieties in October with very positive results, even though prices and sales have dropped with the arrival of competing produce from South Africa, Spain, Calabria and Apulia, with the price range for large sizes ranging from €2/kg to €1.60/kg. I would like to say that, thanks to the experience passed on to me by my father, I run the company according to the ethical principles I learnt from him - a far-sighted man who lived in a historical context very different from the current one, in which the reliability of the person and the value of the 'keeping your word' counted a lot. It is in fact thanks to him that, starting in the 1980s, we conquered the American markets with the first mixed containers of oranges, tangerines and lemons sent to New York. My father, who passed away last year, always remembered the phone call he received from a friend from Canicattì who, at the time, told him that he had bought our Moro oranges in America. We actually knew nothing about it: a load of our citrus fruits had arrived in Verona, and our overseas export adventure began from there."
"Everything has changed, and citrus fruit trade mainly occurs via email. We are dealing with producer countries that follow different rules from ours in terms of food safety, company taxation, and certifications, not to mention labour, which is now very difficult to find in Italy."
"I am of the opinion that, despite the complexities that the agri-food sector is facing, sustainability remains one of the most important objectives for companies today. Sustainability understood in its true meaning, i.e. that which not only includes the environmental aspect, but also the social and economic one, capable of making companies and society grow."
"Online commerce has been growing over the past few years: a channel that complements our sales through the big retail chains and the general markets. We address all families, to whom we guarantee fresh produce shipped just a few hours after being harvested! The short supply chain helps us have a personal and unmediated relationship with the end customers, just like in the old days, in a relationship of trust between buyers and producers."
For more information:
Pascal Altieri 
Az. Agricola Altieri Giacomo & Figlio
Via Trento, 10
95046 Palagonia (CT) - Italy
+39 095 7951561
+39 335 7167691
[email protected]
www.fiordarancia.it