Mauro Manfreda runs a 12-hectare fruit and vegetable farm in the province of Lecce, in Apulia. On the 25th of February 2019, he dug out the production of seed potatoes. "I sowed in August - explains the farmer - and I should have dug them over a month ago, but the weather conditions did not allow me to. Only today have we been able to proceed with the harvest".
The varieties harvested are Annabelle and Vogue, which have an early swelling of the tuber and are therefore suitable for summer sowing for early harvesting. The quality is good, even if the percentage of waste is higher than in other years, because the heavy rains and the delay in harvesting have damaged the more superficial tubers".
Late sowing is possible in some areas where the climate allows it. Potatoes are sown in the middle of summer, and are then excavated by the end of the year, if the weather is good enough. They have a smaller vegetation and also lower production, in fact they rarely exceed 20 tons per hectare.
"I have one hectare of this type - Manfreda specifies - and I am satisfied with the production. The quality is good. Then in May I'll go and dig the traditional new potatoes: the varieties are Spunta, Annabelle, Carolus, Nicola."
In the past, Manfreda had up to 22 hectares of potatoes, which were marketed through brokers. But, due to the lack of receipts, late payments, market volatility, 9 years ago he decided to open a business store and reduced the area, while expanding the range of supply.
"Today I do not let market prices influence me - says the farmer - because I sell at 1 euro per kilogram, both when potatoes are cheap and when prices are higher. The consumer is reassured by the constant prices and knows that he can trust us".
