"We do not have any blood orange or pomegranate juice in stock. The entire production of the 2024/25 campaign has been sold and almost entirely delivered," explains Salvatore Imbesi, manager of Agrumi-Gel, a Sicilian company specialising in fruit processing. The high demand exceeded the company's storage capacity, making it impossible to accept further orders.
The situation is similar for NFC (Not From Concentrate) lemon juice, for which demand has exceeded supply. The market saw a fluctuating price trend for fresh lemons, with prices initially below production costs. Later, prices increased, also influenced by the higher quotations for lemon juice from other European and non-European producers.
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According to Imbesi, the main problem for processed products is the lack of clear EU regulations on the origin of the raw material. A precise regulation on the criteria for the use of the name 'Italy' is essential to protect the sector from duties, counterfeiting, and misuse of the brand. In fact, products with a marginal presence of Italian juice are often labelled as Italian.
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"This regulatory vacuum penalises investments in innovative crops. The case of pomegranates is emblematic. Although cultivation was introduced to diversify production, the supply chain in Sicily has never been consolidated. The main cause is the strong competition from juice from Israel and other non-European countries, whose prices are lower than Italian production costs for both the fresh product and the processed one."
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As a result, hectares of pomegranate orchards are uprooted every year in the Catania hinterland and other areas of Sicily. This is detrimental to the entire supply chain, in particular to producers who invested in diversification. Imbesi stresses that a solution could be the establishment of a national agricultural register, i.e., a database to monitor production and total volumes, thus protecting the origin of the supply chain.
The company processes citrus fruits from the Sicilian supply chain, such as oranges, lemons, and tangerines, but also Calabrian delicacies such as bergamot oranges, as well as pomegranates and summer fruits. The range of products obtained includes natural and concentrated juices, essences, dried peel, and bio-ethanol.
For more information: 
Ortogel Srl
C.da Balchino Industrial Zone
95039 Caltagirone (CT) (Italy)
+39 0933 1902800
+39 348 8949166
[email protected]
www.ortogel.eu