Italy: Potatoes are good quality despite the climate, areas down by 15%

In anticipation of the start of harvesting in the Sicilian area of the province of Syracuse, Romagnoli F.lli analyzed the production situation of new potatoes. Although the recent perturbations in the area have caused damage, the mild climate of the following weeks has allowed the crops to obtain a quality product of a homogeneous size. The severe disturbances that hit south-eastern Sicily in the first ten days of February, characterized by strong gusts of wind and rainfall in the order of 250/300 mm in just 48 hours, caused damage to the foliar apparatus of the plants, in particular in plots close to the sea. The favorable weather conditions in the following weeks partially allowed the plants to recover and grow. Although with a smaller number of tubers per plant, the production is characterized by a product of excellent quality and homogeneous size. The critical issues regarding reduction of surfaces remain, with a decrease of over 15% compared to 2022. A multifactorial ...