The tomato campaign in the area of Fondi-Sperlonga, where most of the AOP Luce members' productions are located, is about to end.
"In the last two years we focused mainly on the Mini Plum because it's the type for which there's a greater demand and because we found varieties that are well suited to our climatic conditions; for now we work exclusively in the Italian market, even if we have carried out tests and we are working on our tomato's export feasibility" says Felice Petrillo, president of the organization..
"We are also investing in the red TOV, after having neglected it for a few years because we could not find varieties suitable for our soil and that could guarantee a high quality; today, however, we are able to provide a product with firm and compact pulp, of bright red color but above all tasty."
"The proportion dedicated to the cherry tomato is stable, for which we encounter a very strong competition from other regions, such as Sicily. We had a few problems with the tondo liscio, the costoluto and the green oblong tomato, therefore the season was marked by low quantities, but high prices. "
"During the campaign we had some problems with Tuta absoluta: thanks to technical and biological means we handled the situation very well during the summer heat peak, but in late summer it got worse; in fact, we had some quality problems. Fortunately most of the production had already been collected, so the damage was limited".
"We are currently in full production of white zucchini with flower (grown in a greenhouse), among which we also find one of our typical products, the roman zucchini: it is a very delicate vegetable, available this year in smaller quantities than usual, but at prices not profitable enough. We will have to wait a few more weeks, instead, to get to the heart of the lettuce campaign; our specialties are: roman, gentilina, trocadero and canasta ".
Contacts:
A.O.P. LUCE
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aopluce.com