Austria overtakes Germany as top destination in strawberry exports from Italy

Italian strawberry exports have begun to rise again during the 2021 sales season after a more restrained 2020. Nevertheless, they have not yet returned to the average levels of the last five years. Compared to the quantities shipped during the previous campaign, the increase is 10%, with around 11,800 tons shipped. The increase in value was greater, with around 40 million euros, up 31 percentage points compared to the previous year, thanks to an average price that reached 3.41 €/kg, the highest in the last five years and 19% higher than the 2020 quotation.

The entries of foreign strawberries in our country during the last campaign amounted to more than 38,000 tons, 25% more than the entries in 2020. With more than 92 million euros, the value increased by 37 percentage points compared to the previous year, with an average price of 2.40 €/ kg, which is 10% higher than last year’s price and the highest in the recent past.

Almost all imported strawberries come from EU27 countries. In 2021, about

During the last 5 years, an average of about 88% of exports have been destined for the countries of the European Union (27). In the last campaign, exports grew by 10% compared to 2020, at just over 10,000 tons. Austria outperformed Italy’s historic main commercial outlet, Germany, ranking first; the Austrian market absorbed about 4,000 tons, accounting for 34% of the total (+53% on the previous year).

This was followed by exports to Germany with almost 3,600 tons, representing a drop of five percentage points compared to the previous year and accounting for 30% of the total. Exports to Slovenia followed closely behind, with a clear increase over the recent past, reaching 8% of the total. There was also a marked increase in exports to Luxembourg, which went from 3% to 5% of total Italian exports. Croatia and Lithuania made up 3% of the total.

37,800 tons arrived, representing 98% of the total, a +24% increase compared to 2020. Spain traditionally holds the record with about 73% of the total during the last campaign, up by 13% compared to the previous year with more than 28,000 tons. Spain is followed by Germany and France at 8% of the total, up by 51 percentage points compared to last season, with almost 3,300 tons and up by 47% compared to last year, with 2,900 tons. Imports from the Netherlands and Belgium were far behind at 2% and 1% of the total, showing an increase over the previous season.

The revenues from non-EU European countries (28) accounted for 2% of the total in 2021, an increase of 56% compared to the previous year; the product originated mainly from Albania. The number of entries from African countries, including only Egypt, is still small but growing.

Spain has always been Italy’s main competitor, both in terms of volumes produced and propensity to export. In 2021, Spanish exports closed with a volume of over 300,000 tons, up 9% on the volumes sent the previous year. 36% of shipments went to the German market, with over 100,000 tons, representing an increase of ten percentage points compared to the previous season, which further confirms the current trend.

Exports to France accounted for 15% of the total, with volumes up compared to 2020 (+18%) reaching almost 48,000 tons. Almost 40,000 tons were shipped to the United Kingdom, representing a decrease of three percentage points compared to the previous season and accounting for 12% of the total. Italy ranked fourth with 10% of the total exported by Spain, while the Netherlands ranked second with 5% of the total.

The other country competing with Italy, but with similar export volumes, is Germany. German shipments in 2021 were down 24% compared to those in 2020, following a downward trend that had already been underway for a few years; the volumes exported during the last campaign, with only 7,000 tons, represent the lowest quantity in the last five years. Austria is the main destination market, with 54% of the total during the last campaign, down by two percentage points compared to the previous campaign.

Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for 11% of the total, with shipments down eleven percentage points compared to last season. Exports to Denmark and France accounted for 8% of the total, with volumes to Denmark increasing over time, while shipments to France dropped considerably in 2021. Shipments to the Netherlands accounted for 6% of the total, showing a marked increase after a more restrained 2020. Exports to Italy accounted for 3% of the total, together with exports to Poland.

At an Italian scale, the areas allocated to the cultivation of strawberry in dedicated cultivation are up by four percentage points compared to last year with about 4,100 hectares, according to the analysis conducted by CSO Italy. In 2022, areas in the south of Italy represent about 64% of the national strawberry cultivation, which is stable compared to 2021, while the north of Italy covers 24% of the total and the total areas are up by 9% compared to last year.

Basilicata and Campania remain the main production areas, and together they contribute to 50% of the Italian production. In Basilicata, the estimated increase is 30 hectares, which means that the production area in the region will reach about 1,030 hectares; in Campania, estimates seem to show a +2%, equivalent to about 20 hectares more than last season, thereby exceeding 1,000 hectares.

Another slight increase is expected in Sicily (+2% compared to 2021), while in Calabria a decrease of seven percentage points has been recorded. In addition to the increase registered in southern areas in recent years, this year the main strawberry-growing regions in the north will also see a rise. In the northern region of Veneto, after several years of downturn, strawberry cultivation areas have increased by 19%, while in Emilia-Romagna the estimated difference is +11% compared to the previous season, but even in this case the increase comes after a fairly long period of progressive decrease in plantings. Among the other regions, a steady +3% was recorded in Piedmont and an overall +1% in Trentino-Alto Adige.

The 2022 commercial campaign has now started, with production volumes from the southern Italian regions (Basilicata and Campania) competing for market share with Spanish production. Currently, harvests in Spain have reached 22% of the total, with a slight slowdown during the last few weeks due to a drop in temperature.

The period during planting and soil preparation was marked by high temperatures and a lack of rainfall and, until mid-December, there was no heavy rain in the production area. Temperatures were always pleasant, and it was not until the first two weeks of the new year that they dropped, accompanied by a few light frosts, but without damaging the crops. In the province of Huelva, Spain’s largest production area, investments remained more or less constant compared to the previous year.

In the Metaponto area, the first part of autumn was marked by temperatures above seasonal averages and only later, at the beginning of December, temperatures dropped. Compared to last season, the quantities for bare root strawberries of the early variety were lower due to the reduced presence of light and low tem-

peratures. The period from Christmas to the beginning of January saw a warm upturn in temperatures accompanied by sunshine and good weather, which benefited the crop by improving the quality of the fruit.

A colder season at the end of January with no significant frosts, and the prevalence of clear or slightly cloudy skies allowed temperature levels high enough to meet crop requirements and not halt the ripening process, leading to an earlier harvest for the bare root varieties and higher production than in the same period last year. So far, harvests have reached 25% of the total, while those in fruit set are of good quality.

In the Agro Aversano production area, in Campania, the first four months (October-January) of the strawberry production cycle were marked by a cloudy weather pattern, with consequent rainfall and a minimum temperature above the historical average; for these reasons, the plants received lower light in November and December resulting in a slowdown in production. In January and February, the plants regained stability and are now well developed with a fair number of fruits and flowers. As of today (beginning of March 2022), the harvest has reached 8% of the total in this production area.

“The Italian strawberry is gaining a foothold in northern European markets. In recent years, the Italian strawberry cultivation has made progress both in terms of varietal research and cultivation techniques, but also because the production has increased,” said Pietro Paolo Ciardiello, director of the Cooperativa Sole di Parete, in the province of Caserta.

“Today Italy has a wide range of varieties, with excellent production in terms of quality and quantity. This puts us in a strategic position compared to other European countries, giving us a greater possibility to reach northern European markets and allowing us to meet consumers’ demands. The Italian strawberry has a good chance of entering the markets of Northern Europe also because there is a good propensity on the part of foreign consumers to eat Italian food. The only limiting factor is the lack of manpower. If there were more manpower, the production of Italian strawberries could increase.

Coop Sole is a company specialized in the production of strawberries and small fruits. Its main market is Italy, but 30% of its products are exported to northern European markets, in particular Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

In the last 10 years, Germany has grown in terms of areas devoted to strawberries, to the extent that it is the leading European producer in terms of cultivated areas. German strawberry production starts in May in greenhouses, and then in June the strawberries are harvested in the fields. In Germany there is an important consumption of strawberries and Italy covers the production gaps, supplying the German markets until the end of April,” said Ciardiello.

“The consumption of strawberries both in Italy and abroad has increased on the whole, also because this reference represents a strategic product for both general markets and supermarket chains, since it is the first product of the season heralding spring. It has to be said that customers are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of the goodness, healthiness, and ethicality of the product. However, to obtain high-quality, you have to bear additional costs. We should also not forget that human capital is fundamental, and for this reference, there is a need for qualified manpower. Looking to the future, we have to combine environmental, economic, and social sustainability in order to make strawberries an increasingly interesting

product.

Strawberry farming is also advancing in terms of research and genetic improvement. We talked about this with Carmela Suriano, managing director EMEA of Nova Siri Genetics.

The strawberry sector, together with the berries sector, has achieved a significant growth in recent years, at a national and international scale. Consumers are increasingly attracted to these fruits, to the extent that the requests go on almost all year round. It is important, therefore, that production and research are able to meet this seasonal demand, providing a product with organoleptic characteristics that maintain high standards throughout the sales period. “Research must pay attention to the needs of both the production industry and the market. Nova Siri Genetics’ main objective is to provide innovative solutions to the changing needs of producers and consumers. The pillars of our research are the hardiness of new cultivars, the organoleptic characteristics of the fruit and the earliness. The rusticity of the plant is becoming increasingly important as production becomes more sustainable through the use of low environmental impact cultivation techniques and a very limited use of plant protection products. Fruit quality is another important aspect of genetic improvement; aroma, flavour, shelf life and aesthetic appeal of the fruit are key characteristics for the success of a strawberry variety. Earliness is one of the main objectives of our research, in order to meet the market demand already by autumn and winter.” “The possibilities for growth in the medium to long term are very high. Obviously, we need to constantly assess those factors that can have a major impact on the sector, such as the lack of skilled personnel, the increase in raw material prices and the purchasing capacity of the market. In a globalized context, the critical aspects of one country or area of the world can have important repercussions on others, as we have unfortunately witnessed in recent months.”

“It is for this reason that at Nova Siri Genetics we try every day to work and collaborate with our partners throughout the supply chain, to be as close as possible to the needs of consumers and producers.”

SWEET AND SEEDLESS VALENCIANA AND MOLLAR POMEGRANATES