Spain main competitor for Sicilian organic oranges

Source: freshplaza.com
By Maria Luigia Brusco

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

In Italy organic farming is present in all regions, but Sicily is at the top in terms of cultivated area and number of active companies. FreshPlaza spoke to Salvatore Nicastro of Azienda Agricola Bio Nicastro, one of over 5,000 organic farms in Sicily.

"My company is small and is located in the important area of the Val di Noto. I produce about 100 tons of organic citrus, cultivar Navelina and New Hall. My association is the I.M.C. in Senigallia (Ancona), accredited by Sincert," Nicastro says.

"The marketing trend is quite a disaster this year because of the competition from Spanish products. In fact, this country is able to ship packed oranges to Milan for 0.90 Euro. There is a surplus of supply because our traders - in a selfish way - harvest early (so the product is not physiologically ripe) and then citrus is subjected to immersion for 40/70 hours, which makes them less valuable."

"In this campaign, the oranges were sold at the same price as the previous one. This year the climate had a negative impact in some Sicilian citrus areas (in the area of Catania), while in the area of Syracuse it was positive" Nicastro says.

"Our foreign competitor is always Spain, although quality of citrus from Sicily and Calabria is unrivalled. I think we are penalized by the existing trade agreements, in which exchange of goods is realised with industrial products, lost sight on agriculture. We should remember that we do not eat cars, television, mobile phones etc., but bread, meat, eggs, fish and lots of fruits and vegetables!" Nicastro concludes.

Tip: OrganicPortal España - Orgánicos Comidas y Bebidas

OrganicPortal NewsRoom

09.02.2012

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