Stefano Lugli - SL Fruit Service
Cherry Times technical-scientific committee
The areas invested in cherry orchards in Italy continue to decrease and the national production of Italy's most beloved fruit fell dramatically in 2013. Will Romagna cherries save us or will we have to get used to eating Turkish and Uzbek cherries? Probably yes.
Thanks to the investments made by Apofruit in the Cesena and Forlì area and those of Agrintesa in the Faenza area, according to the latest CIA report, Romagna has almost doubled its cherry tree surfaces in just 10 years, in contrast to national trends and those of its rich and noble cousins from Vignola.
Unfortunately, cherry growing in Romagna, like so many others, has had to suffer the devastating effects of climate change this year: frost, rain and floods that have effectively wiped out local cherry production. Read the CIA report here.
And if the people of Romagna are crying today, while looking with some optimism at their future, the people of Emilia are certainly not laughing and see any prospect of growth in the cherry sector as smoke in their eyes.
There are few rays of sunshine and many clouds on the horizon: suffice it to say that Vignola's famous cherries hit an all-time low in 2023 after 150 years, with just 3,000 tonnes of cherries harvested. And instead of investing in new plantings, cherry trees continue to be cut down in Vignola. Just as in Apulia, Italy's leading region in cherry production.
We are drifting. And it is not just the fault of climate change.
Tech management Post-harvest Press review Varieties
25 Sep 2023
Is a solution possible? The expert is optimistic and has already taken an important step by defining that one of the important variables affecting post-harvest sensitivity is maturity and therefore its monitoring. But this is not the only challenge.
24 Jan 2025
Some regions, like the Midwest, are facing the onset of an agricultural recession. The recession stems largely from extreme weather conditions, rising production and labor costs, global supply-and-demand imbalances, and declining farmer revenues and disaster aid.
21 Apr 2025
On 28 and 29 May, the first Redagrícola Cherry Conference, a technical reference event for the cherry sector, will be held in Monticello. Chilean and international experts will participate, focusing on innovation, climate and market.
21 Apr 2025
Discover BioMagnet Ruby, the sustainable and innovative solution to protect cherries in Italy from the pests Drosophila suzukii and Rhagoletis cerasi. Preventive action, no maintenance, guaranteed crop quality. Also ideal for other red fruits.
