70% decrease in Puglia and frosts, low crops and speculations make the cost of cherries fly. Meanwhile peaches, strawberries and melons cost less.
One cherry pulls the other. True, but this year it could be too expensive. In Milan, the retail price touched 23.3 euros per kilogram, transforming the summer fruit into a luxury good. The data emerges from an analysis of Coldiretti that speaks of scarce harvests, not very transparent imports and strong imbalances in the supply chain. A price that, until today, had been seen only for the Christmas first fruits, sold as a whim during the holidays for over 30 euros per kilo. And while the price of cherries flies, that of the other summer fruit drops.
Cherries: 70% decreasing production in Puglia and record costs for consumers
In Puglia, a region that alone covers 30% of national production, the cherry harvest has been very compromised by unexpected frosts between March and April. The early varieties such as “Georgia” and “Bigarreau” have undergone significant damage and the “railway”, the flagship of the Apulian production, paid the highest price. According to Coldiretti Puglia, the collapse of production is between 70% and 100% in some areas of South-East Bari. And the drastic decrease in the offer made the stars splash. But it is not the only cause. Cherries have always been “the dear fruits of the summer”, but when the offer suffers here, more easily, speculative phenomena also come into play. In addition, Coldiretti denounces, there is the presence in foreign cherry markets (from Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt) passed off for Italians. The risk is twofold: the consumer pays at a high price a product that may not be what he believes and the Italian producers find themselves having to manage a not very transparent chain. This is why Coldiretti asks for the creation of an IGP brand for the Apulian cherry, as is the case in Emilia-Romagna with the cherries of Vignola. But even here everything does not queue smooth. The Consortium for the protection of Vignola PGI cherry, while recording a production in line with the expectations, has in fact decided to renounce in 2025 to the planned promotional campaigns. The general scarcity of the product in Italy and Europe has made the context too unstable in order to support commercial initiatives, support the Emilian producers. The difficult season for the Italian ceilings sector therefore affects consumers, who pay the summer fruit at a high price. Or they give us up.
Prices of cherries to the stars, but summer fruit costs less
While cherries reach levels never seen, the rest of the summer fruit tells a different story. According to the data of the shopping bag of BMTI and Italmercati, in the last few days the wholesale prices of many varieties are clearly decreasing. Strawberries mark a decrease of 9.9%, with prices between 2.50 and 4.00 euros per kilo. Melons lose 5.4% and stand between 2.00 and 2.50 euros/kg. The yellow -pulp peaches, whose harvest was also anticipated by the hot climate, drop by 14.2% compared to the week before. Even the nectarines and tomatoes confirm the decay tendency, thanks to the abundance of the offer and a still weak question. A trend that highlights this year’s paradox. On the one hand we have cherry, a fruit in crisis, which comes to cost 23 euros per kilogram for consumers and on the other side there are peaches, melons, strawberries and all the other seasonal products, which have a large and convenient offer. At the moment.
