Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber

You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker).

As we provide the news for free, we are relying on revenues from our banners. So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.
Thanks!

Click here for a guide on disabling your adblocker.

Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber
Tonino Zito of the Sicilian company of the same name: "The current market situation is rather challenging"

Syracuse new potato season scheduled to start in mid-March

Following storm Gabri hitting southern Italy, particularly Sicily, and Calabria, fields of new potatoes were kept under observation in the Syracuse countryside, as their season is due to start in mid-March.

Tonino Zito, sales manager of Soc. Agr. Zito & Co located in the Syracuse province, reports that "damage was minimal. The main problem was the strong wind, especially in the areas near the sea which are less at risk of frost, yet more exposed to it. The wind slightly damaged the stalks in some places but, in general, we did not record anything serious. Potatoes are in excellent condition."

"Despite a few days of bad weather, we had no frost problems this year. We have recorded regular rainfall every 15-20 days, which has been beneficial as rainwater is indeed different from artificial irrigation. Right now, potatoes are looking really good and we are confident about the harvest."

Regarding the start of the harvest, Zito adds that "some producers have already started the harvesting of second-crop potatoes, which are sometimes sold as new potatoes even though they are not. Real new potatoes, those grown from certified original seeds, will start to be harvested around 15 March. Once we start harvesting, we will not stop."

The company destined 50 hectares to new potatoes this year and has opted for an earlier variety. "Quality is very good. Everything went well this year unlike last year, when we had problems with seeds, so we are expecting an excellent production season. I think things will go well also from a commercial point of view. The quality of the potatoes currently available is not the best. Also, potatoes are coming in from Cyprus and Egypt, which are second-crop. The only real new potatoes are coming from Sicily, and from Syracuse in particular," Zito points out.

Vegetable campaign
The Zito agricultural company has been producing and marketing vegetables since 1981. "These days, we are facing a really difficult market situation with almost all products. I manage a little better only with one because I don't have a lot of produce ready. The situation is still complicated. The products I am talking about include fennel, which we sell exclusively to a supermarket in Sicily. In the past, we managed to sell four pallets a day, sometimes even six, without promotions. But now sales have become unpredictable despite the promotions: one day we sell, the next day we don't. It's really strange."

Then there are round green cabbages, pointed cabbages, and Romanesco green cauliflowers. Round green cabbages in particular have a very limited market, mainly in parts of Sicily and in Eastern European countries. Here, too, sales are difficult because they find no space in local supermarkets, which prefer to buy goods from outside the region. "We have had some success in Poland, but it is not enough, if you consider that, of the 15 pallets harvested recently, we have sold a maximum of six. The rest is still in storage units."

The pointed cabbage markets are a bit heavy these days. "There are products coming in from Apulia, Albania, and Portugal. The more produce there is, the more difficult it becomes to sell it. Moreover, the weather in northern Italy is not helping: it is raining a lot and temperatures are mild, which does not encourage people to buy this type of vegetable."

For more information:
Francesco Zito - production manager
+39 331 4001978
Simone Zito - logistics and processing manager
+39 338 6813107
ZITO & CO. soc.r.l. agr.
via Teti 10
96010 Cassibile di Siracusa (SR)
info@agrizito.it