The garlic season, which is about to start in Italy, is not without its unknowns. "A marketing campaign is coming to an end with consumption slowing down, as we had already seen in January, but this leads us to not have availability problems until the arrival of the product from the new harvest. We had to deal with a lack of rain since sowing, which is becoming the real challenge for this crop. Where we have managed to alleviate this problem with emergency irrigation and classic or innovative agronomic interventions, we will have good yields and garlic of the usual quality," says Ettore Navarra from Le Ouch.
"For a year, like the entire productive sector, we have experienced increases in the cost of inputs that until now we have tried to amortize with reorganizations at the company level, although it must be said that without much success. In addition, we have the problem of the cost of labor. We are forced to adjust the sale price slightly so that the company can survive, and we hope that consumers will continue to look for the Italian product".
"We are in the drying phase of early garlic, which, like must, must be consumed quickly due to its shorter shelf life and, in my opinion, less flavor. This product, unfortunately, is giving us the first signs of inferior performance to that of previous harvests of PDO Voghiera garlic, which will soon be harvested," said Ettore Navarra and Alessandro Evangelisti.
This year, Le Aie continues for the second consecutive year with the Zero Residue certification for Aglio di Voghera PDO production. The certification reflects the right balance between a healthy product for the consumer, respect for the environment, and economic sustainability for the farmer.
"Our cultivated area this season is about 40 hectares, of which 10 are used for early garlic, already harvested, and the rest for PDO Voghiera garlic, which, once dried, will be calibrated before being packed in mesh according to the wishes of the clients.