In Vignola, in the province of Modena, the municipal fruit and vegetable market is undergoing a period of change. At the end of April, there were four concessionaires operating in the market: two small ones that remained and two large ones, one of which recently moved its operations to a private warehouse.
Paola Pelloni, owner of the Nuovo Ortomercato Vignola company, confirmed the situation to myfruit.it, explaining the reasons behind the move: "The structure of the market is now obsolete and in a state of disrepair. I preferred to move the employees to the new warehouse. It's a difficult time for producers as well, although the demand for pears, cherries, and plums remains high."
Emilia Muratori, mayor of Vignola, confirmed that one of the two major concessionaires terminated their contract and recalled that a tender was issued to reassign the space, but without success.
Looking to the future, the mayor explained that the concession for the remaining concessionaire will expire in 2025 and there are currently no signs of withdrawal. "We will let the cherry season pass and then make a decision on the vacant space."
"The two smaller concessionaires have renewed their contract, and we will hold a new competition to allocate the vacant area. Additionally, those who remain have requested to use additional stalls beyond those provided by the contract, indicating that the business is doing well."
Regarding criticisms of the market conditions, the mayor stated: "We have initiated a renovation of some areas. The market requires significant, albeit costly, extraordinary maintenance. When we issued the tender, two concessionaires emerged compared to the previous one, and each concessionaire needed their autonomy. For this reason, we built a processing room that was missing in one of the two lots."
The mayor also highlighted another resolved issue: "We have installed a fire ring with an investment exceeding €200,000, a significant project for Vignola Patrimonio. Although we are aware that there is still work to be done, as soon as we have the necessary financial resources, Vignola Patrimonio has already identified the priorities. It is not true that nothing has been done; our goal is to find the resources to gradually address all needs."
Source: myfruit.it
Image: Comune di Vignola
18 Sep 2024
Interestingly, cherries from trees with a trunk height of 60-65 cm retained their quality for a longer period compared to those from other heights, showing less weight loss and maintaining a higher level of firmness and soluble solids.
18 Nov 2024
Pitting requires pre- and post-harvest solutions, with packaging playing a key role. PacLife works with plastic polymers such as low-density polyethylene and biaxially oriented polypropylene that reduce weight loss and maintain fruit firmness.
19 Dec 2025
Cracking in sweet cherry fruit can lead to total crop loss. A Ukrainian study highlights genetic and morphological causes, showing how variety and ripening time affect split types. Cultivars like Mliivska žovta, Mirazh and Amazonka showed the best resilience.
19 Dec 2025
A detailed study highlights how high-pressure humidification in cold storage rooms significantly reduces cherry dehydration after hydrocooling, preserving fruit quality during post-harvest storage and before packaging, even in heterogeneous conditions.
