Economic analysis citrus fruits destined to markets.

The majority of Italian citrus fruit production is destined to the fresh market,with prevalence for the domestic one, while a variable amount between 5 and8% is intended for exportation. Concerning Italian production of citrus fruit,Sicilian Red Orange started a strategy that sees internationalization as one ofthe strongest point to exploit it. Foreign markets for future expansion, besidesEuropean ones, could be those overseas, such as United States, Canada andJapan. In order to export to these markets, specific agreements between Italy anddestination countries were signed, based on severe phytosanitary protocols (tocontrol the healthy characteristics of products), that consider “cold treatment”over quality controls. Being compliant with such protocols and transportationlogistics affects oranges to be exported a lot, with the result of final fruits ofa quality that often does not meet consumers’ expectations and limits shelflifeabove all. This paper, retracing the main steps that have characterized thedefinition of the international agreements and the main stages of product treatmentand transportation logistics, aims at identifying the most critical issuesand solve them in order to improve quality and final shelf-life of products. Thisreview was carried out throughout 2009, studying citrus fruit commercializationprocess of some Sicilian companies of the sector. From the beginning, in fact,many critical points came out either for processing procedures or transportationlogistics, generating considerable costs and a limited residual shelf-life. Jointlyan overall economic assessment of costs arising from exportation was made,as well as an evaluation of oranges through a home-use test, as instrumentsof the “consumer science” adopted for a subjective evaluation of the product.