The 2016 greenhouse agretti campaign would only reach a mark of 7/10 after three years of being 9/10. The popularity of agretti depends on the area - they are quite popular in central Italy but only a few people eat them in the north. They are cultivated mainly in Romagna and in the Fondi area in the Lazio region.
In Romagna, there are various producers who sell them not only at a local level but also to nearby regions such as Umbria and Tuscany. One of them is Paolo Beleffi (in the photo) from Gambettola, who grows agretti in heated greenhouses.
"I started harvesting on 22nd February and finished on 10th April. Prices varied a lot - from €3.50/kg to €1.70. They had been very good in the past three years but I have registered a 20% drop in 2016 because our produce overlapped with that from other areas. I cannot complain, though, as quotations remained decent."
Beleffi sells its agretti on the Cesena market and also works with some wholesalers in central Italy.
"What's good about this crop is the fact that, as it s very rustic, it doesn't need treatments. I haven't performed a single phytosanitary treatment in over 20 years. For a good production, you need loose ground with no water stagnation."
In Romagna, greenhouse sowing is carried out in November and harvesting is carried out by hand between February and April. In open fields, sowing is from January onwards and harvesting continues until late May.
This year, Beleffi harvested around 10 tons of agretti. Once pulled out, they are immediately tied in bunches weighing 250-300 grams each. They are then washed and placed in crates.
