The positive trend of strawberry plantlet sales in the southern Italian regions continues for Primi Frutti, licensee of Nova Siri Genetics (NSG) varieties. Planting started in mid-October and the first fruits are expected for mid/late January 2025.
Antonio Pitrelli and Giuseppe Stigliano, respectively sales and technical manager at Primi Frutti, take stock of the recent distribution campaign.
Antonio Pitrelli and Giuseppe Stigliano at a crop in the Metapontino area
"We recorded a 12% increase in sales compared to the previous campaign," says Pitrelli. "The total volume was 78 million strawberry plantlets distributed in Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. Our distribution calendar takes into account the type of plant and variety. A complete varietal offer like ours, in fact, together with differentiated transplanting periods, allows producers to supply the market continuously for six months, starting in the autumn months and continuing until late spring."
NSG 203 - Marimbella plant
Producers mostly demand fresh plants: for the company from Basilicata, which specialises in the distribution of strawberry and small fruit plantlets, they account for 93% of demand. Deliveries began in the first week of October. 7% is instead represented by plugs, which were planted starting from 20 September.
Giuseppe Stigliano, technician at Primi frutti, explains that "an important factor in this campaign was certainly the favourable climate in the production areas of Central Europe and Spain, where we have our nurseries for plant propagation. The low temperatures in September, in fact, fulfilled the need for cold weather. Therefore, harvesting and sorting took place in optimal climatic conditions and without hiccups. The immediate distribution of the plants allowed growers to set up the groves by 30 October.
In line with market trends, the varieties most in demand by growers are those characterised by earliness and good organoleptic qualities. For the early segment, NSG 203 - Marimbella® is confirmed as the leading variety used in the south of the country, with 38 million plants sold and a growth of 10% compared to last year. Fresh plants were planted during the first two weeks of October and are now fully developing. Plugs, which were planted at the end of September, are already producing. (In the photo: NSG 203 - Marimbella plugs in Battipaglia -Salerno).
As for the premium line, NSG 465 - Rossetta® has shown significant growth over the past two years, with the distributed quantities that have almost doubled from 7.6 million in 2022 to 13.5 million this year. The cultivar Melissa, which is widely used for organic crops, is growing by 20% compared to 2023.
For more information:
Primi Frutti Srl
Via S. Maurizio, 46
75025 Policoro (MT) - Italy
+39 342 803 6929
[email protected]