Campaign Check uninspiring for producers of potatoes and onions in Emilia-Romagna, conditioned by producer prices which are positioning themselves at very low levels. The tuber collections are practically completed in all the main areas of the Region, while those of the bulbs are in full swing and should be completed in the first part of September.
For the Emilian-Romagna potato growers, the main problem was generated again this year by the larvae of elateridae , or ferretti, which in many plants have “perforated” a part of the production making them not marketable on the fresh market. “The harvest was characterized by good yields per hectare and high qualitative characteristics, starting from the dry matter content”, the agronomist Fabio Zannoni (Cab Massari) who works in the Ravenna area tells Italiafruit News .
“However, conventional potato producers are increasingly demoralized – he continues – as they know they no longer have the possibility of defending themselves from the underwire, therefore it is conceivable to expect a consistent reduction in areas for 2021 in favor of corn, sorghum or wheat, crops less expensive and demanding, especially if tuber prices continue to remain low. In Ravenna today we are talking about 0.12-0.15 euros per kilo against the 0.22-0.25 euros per kilo that were sprouted in the previous year ”.
The prices at the origin of the new local onions fell even more sharply than potatoes, fluctuating these days between 0.07 and 0.09 euros per kilo . “The volumes are good and the quality of the bulbs is also generally high – specifies Zannoni – But the good availability, combined with the very low prices of the period, leads us to think that some lots that present phytosanitary problems (bacteriosis, rot, etc.) could not even be picked up. The sentiment of producers is therefore negative ”.
source: http://www.italiafruit.net/
