Italy: A boom in seedless grapes

Table grapes? They like it crunchy and sweet, but most of all without seeds. Foreigners have always thought this and now Italians too, who are increasingly buying seedless varieties. "In five years, they have exceeded 33% of sales - says Claudio Mazzini, Coop Italia's fresh produce manager - and I think that growth will continue, especially among the youngest". It is logical that many producers have focused on seedless, increasing the number of varieties and the dedicated hectares. "It is an important sector, which is also ensuring good results in exports, in particular in Germany, the UK and Scandinavia" comments Marcello Guidi, manager of the foreign market of Apofruit, which with its 100,000 quintals is the national player of reference. After all, Italy is not just a large producer of table grapes, with 47 thousand hectares (+ 0.5% in the five-year period) and 1.045 million tons (+ 3% on 2021), as the latest Ismea report points out. Our country is also the third largest ...