Production costs of pepper cultivations are relatively high because they are in fact protected environment crops. "If the yield is less than 100-120 tons per hectare, growing peppers is actually uneconomical," explains Pietro Caggiano, vice-chairman of Aop Armonia and owner of Covimer, a nursery where most of the pepper plants of the Sele plain (Campania) come from.
"The sale price of peppers shouldn't drop below €0.90-1.00 per kilo in order to be competitive for producers, especially if we think about the fact that the costs for labour, packaging and transportation from Salerno are of about €0.60-0.70."
The management of AOP Armonia. Left to right: Pietro Caggiano, Felice Volpe, Paolo Mellone and sales director Marco Eleuteri.
AOP Armonia has decided to drastically cut pepper crops in the ongoing season. "We will go from around twenty hectares to 10 or 12. There are mainly two reasons: the prices of the 2012 campaign weren't profitable enough and the weather is also a problem, as it will probably cause the recrudescence of the Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV)."
The TSWV is spread from the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, which can now be found everywhere in Europe and in the Mediterranean area, where damage caused by the virus has been detected. "Last year, the virus managed to defeat the tolerances of cultivated peppers, leading to considerable losses. Mild temperatures during winter did not stop the proliferation of thrips, meaning that, especially in organic and integrated control crops where no insecticides are used, the risk of inoculum is so high that it is actually advisable to avoid growing peppers."
Pepper greenhouses in the Fortunato company.
These difficulties are confirmed by Eduardo Fortunato, from the Fortunato commercial farm part of AOP Armonia, which is the main pepper producer of the cooperative. "In 2012, 8 hectares were destined to pepper crops, but we have now reduced them to 1.5 hectares, so that we can only supply a number of historical clients. In fact, last year, we had to destroy 2 hectares of peppers already in June because of the virus, and therefore we lost between €10 and 12 thousand per hectare."
Eduardo Fortunato and Marco Eleuteri.
The surfaces are now being cultivated with Canary yellow melons, traditional watermelons, mini watermelons and Piel de Sapo melons. "These are also protected environment crops, and our objective is to enter the market before the Sicilian open field production does: we will start with Canary yellow melons towards 15th-20th May and we will then go ahead with other crops in June."
Pepper transplants were carried out in February in the Sele plain, and AOP Armonia should start harvesting in the second week of June: "In standard years, the production can last until December, even though many things can happen and often the produce does not meet the requirements of the market in winter."
Pepper plant.
AOP Armonia's pepper production is mainly made up of the "half-long" red and yellow types: "Green peppers only represent 10% of the total," concludes Caggiano.
Contacts:
AOP Armonia
Via Strada Privata Frigotirrena, 1
84091 Battipaglia (SA)
Tel.: (+39) 0828 316273
Fax: (+39) 0828 316234
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aoparmonia.it
