Cold and rainy weather in the north of Italy has had a disastrous impact on melon supply in the area around Mantua, one of the country's major production regions for the fruit, with exporters reporting a delay to the start of the season of around four weeks.
According to regional officials, open field and covered production have both been badly affected by the conditions, preventing suppliers from planting and harvesting crops and denying the Italian trade an opportunity to command a premium ahead of the main European season.
'The situation is critical,' commented Giacomo Scaroni, president of Lombardy-based producer organisation Bellaguarda. 'Firstly, the temperature of the soil is still too cold due to a lack of sunny days, while in greenhouses the plants are not taking root, meaning they have to be replaced. In practice, this results in the first melon harvest shifting from early June to almost one month later.'
Scaroni added: 'For us producers, this means having to give up a potential market that during [June] provides the best returns, while consumers will find that the first fruits of the season are expensive and hard to find.'
Luigi Panarelli, president of the Mantova branch of Italian farming organisation Cia, confirmed only around 5-10 per cent of the anticipated melon crop had been planted.
'The risk, this time, is to arrive in July with an overproduction, which means very low prices for growers and, as a result, derisory returns,' he said. 'We're waiting for the weather conditions to improve, but the season is already likely to be compromised.'
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