The “crazy” climate trend of recent weeks, with abundant rainfall and temperatures certainly below average, is also heavily influencing the 2024 vintage of industrial tomatoes.
«The question is simple – explains Corrado Ferraripresident of the industrial tomato section of Confagricoltura Lombardia – flooding and water stagnation will lead to the lack of a significant quantity of product at the time of harvest. We estimate a drop of at least 20/25% compared to the standard, with the latest wave of rain also hitting production which, until now, had been partially saved. Bacteria, fungal diseases and downy mildew have now struck, even affecting the production of seedlings for transplants in nurseries».
The lack of product will then have inevitable repercussions on the final price, a topic which, for now, has not been addressed with the seriousness it deserves: «The first offers from industrialists – continues Ferrari – they were far from reality, well before the wave of bad weather. They had proposed 13 euros per quintal, but the request from the producers’ POs was much higher».
And, speaking of Op, it is necessary to point out something “new”. In fact, three of them (one of which is mostly made up of industrialists) have effectively broken the agreement with the others, negotiating with the industry and closing the agreement (the official status is still missing) at 13.50 euros per quintal for the 2024 vintage: «A very serious fact in my opinion, given that, in this way, our unity of purpose is undermined. Fortunately, the four most important Ops on a production level, namely Asipo, Ainpo, Apol and Terremerse, have kept the bar straight».
Finally, a passage on the topic of insurance: «They have increased the deductibles on damage from bad weather, but with compensation limits remaining at a maximum of 50/60%. The agricultural part alone cannot take care of all these aspects, we expect greater collaboration from the entire supply chain».
