"The lettuce campaign is about to end: we expect to finish in about fifteen days. At the moment prices are stable, higher than those recorded up to mid-March. The campaign started well in November and early December; then, from January to mid-March, the lettuce went through a difficult time. After the intense cold in March the vegetative growth of the plants slowed down, which led to price increases. We hope to reach the end of the campaign with these prices, in order to compensate at least in part for the unsatisfactory prices of the first two and a half months of this year". So says Felice Petrillo (pictured above), chairman of AOP Luce.
AOP Luce specializes, among other products, in the production of dark and light courgettes, with and without flowers.
Petrillo said about the campaign: "In December and January the trend of this product was positive; February, on the other hand, because of the unexpected heat, was nothing short of disastrous due to excessive production and low prices. Then with the cold weather in mid-March a significant recovery in prices took place, which continued until Easter. At the moment the weather is causing an excess of production, and since consumption is low the situation is very difficult. We plan to harvest the product from protected fields until the end of May, and in the summer we will start producing courgettes in the open field".
"The campaign of green and white celery (typical of the Fondi-Sperlonga area) has just started, and on a positive note; production is high and consumption is rising. Between the two the white celery is going better, with acceptable prices and adequate production for consumption, while the green one is above the market's capacity. We hope things will improve in the next few days, because production is high and the quality is excellent".
Petrillo concludes by analyzing the trend of tomatoes: "We have started harvesting and marketing, specifically the ribbed and smooth round ones. The tomato campaign seems to have started well: our product is very competitive, also because the market is not affected by foreign products. In about twenty days the reds, the cherry, the mini-plum and the oblong green tomatoes from the Fondi area will go into production".
Contacts:
A.O.P. LUCE
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aopluce.com
