After weeks of bad weather that compromised several volumes of the early and intermediate varieties, the harvest of the Ferrovia cultivar is now underway for the Apulian cherry season.
The current situation of the Ferrovia variety in its orchard
"Last Friday, 26 May 2023, I picked the first Ferrovias. At the moment, wholesale quotations are around 7 euros/kg, slightly higher compared to a year ago. Fortunately, cracking damage on this variety is very limited and estimated at around 10-15%," says Giacomo Giotta, owner of the company of the same name in Conversano (Bari) with 20 hectares of cherry trees, 70 percent of which are dedicated precisely to the Ferrovia variety.
There is no lack of interest from operators, also because the supply of summer fruit is still limited. "Fruits are beautiful, colorful and tasty. The long-term weather conditions seem to be promising; therefore, we have good expectations at a productive and commercial scale. However, the volumes harvested are small, since the weather conditions, even though clearly improving, are still not allowing the fruit to ripen quickly."
The current situation of the Ferrovia variety in its orchard
We asked the Apulian entrepreneur what is worth pointing out compared to last season's kick-off. "The quality is high, but what makes the difference this year is mainly the calibers. The percentage of second-rate cutoffs is really limited. Despite what happened because of a very rainy May, I think the production situation in Apulia is better than in other Italian areas. We will be able to provide a good product for the next three weeks."
For more information:
Azienda Agricola Giacomo Giotta
giacomo.giotta2@gmail.com