Growers in the southern Italian region of Basilicata have reported an earlier-than-usual start to the season for their main Candonga strawberry crop, with those supplying major Italian marketer Apofruit Italia suggesting they could harvest a total of 1,800 tonnes of the fruit this time around.
A generally favourable climate and in particular a mild autumn apparently meant that plants were already bearing fruit from lateJanuary and, by mid-April, had enabled the cooperative to collect around 800 tonnes – more than at the same point last year.
'We are optimistic about the fact that it will be a good campaign,' commented Antonio Rubolino, Apofruit's area manager for Basilicata. 'The start has been really positive and the strawberries harvested up to now have weighed more than last year's while retaining their organoleptic qualities.'
Despite a tricky start to the campaign in early April, when cold weather propmted a fall in consumption, since Easter the market has reportedly improved and looks set to sustain good sales until the end of the campaign in mid-June.
Approximately 80 per cent of Apofruit's Candonga crop is marketed under the premium brand Solarelli.
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