The start of the season for oranges from the gardens of Sicily was rather bumpy this year. "Due to the drought and lack of water, the first oranges of the Navelina variety, which arrived here on November 20, were mostly small. The following variety, Washington Navel, which we offered starting in calendar week 50, was of significantly better quality. Nevertheless, we expect that the Washington Navel supply will already run out at the end of February, whereas we can normally offer them until around Easter," reports Francesco Di Bari, buyer and seller at Sapros GmbH at the Karlsruhe Wholesale Market.
Moro (left) and Tarocco blood oranges.
Meanwhile, the marketing of blood oranges is also in full swing, the fruit wholesaler continues. "We have been offering both Moro and Tarocco since calendar week 51, with the latter variety not only more popular but also around 0.40 EUR/kg pricier. We currently expect to be able to offer both varieties until around Easter." Compared to last year, there has been a renewed price increase of up to EUR 0.30/kg across the entire Sicilian orange range, which is mainly due to high transportation costs. In the overseas segment, the price increases have been even more dramatic, Di Bari continues.
Francesco Di Bari is a buyer and seller at Sapros GmbH at the Karlsruhe Wholesale Market.
Declining consumption of blood oranges
Over the years, the blood orange has become a gourmet item par excellence. Di Bari: "Until 10-15 years ago, we also sold bagged blood oranges to the food retail trade. Those times are now definitely behind us. Nowadays, blood oranges can mainly be found in specialized stores, i.e., in specialty stores and at weekly markets. At the same time, the number of weekly markets in our region is decreasing, which in turn means that a great deal of expertise and advice about the products is being lost. This is particularly disadvantageous for an item like the blood orange that requires a certain amount of explanation. We have noticed that many younger consumers no longer know what a blood orange actually is and what varieties there are."
The cultivation of exotic varieties has been gaining importance in Sicily in recent years.
Export potential for Sicilian exotics
In the wake of climate change, many Sicilian growers are now exploring other avenues. In addition to citrus fruits, exotic fruits are also increasingly growing and thriving on the sunny island. "We recently received a sample shipment of Sicilian Hass avocados. At first glance, the product was a bit grass-green and the sorting was not as we are accustomed to. But the flavor was very convincing: it was a bit creamier than the overseas produce and had an excellent Brix value. We definitely want to add this product to our range and could also imagine offering other exotic fruits from Sicily in the future, such as bananas and mangoes," he concludes.
Photo credit: Sapros GmbH
For more information:
Francesco Di Bari
Sapros GmbH
Karlsruhe Wholesale Market
Phone: +49 721 627650
sales@sapros.de
www.sapros.de