Una verifica dei flussi commerciali degli agrumi siciliani: i mercati all'ingrosso dell'Italia settendrionale

The distribution channels of fresh fruit and vegetable produce have undergone some important changes in the last three decades, especially as a result of the remarkable expansion of the GDO which tends to exclude the supplying of the wholesale markets. Notwithstanding this phenomenon, the citrus fruit product quantities that have gone through the national food control markets is, as a whole, still prevailing. Starting from these premises, this study considers the wholesale market not only in it’s traditional functions (informative and distributive) but as an expression of the buying habits of consumers that have a preference for the traditional distribution. For such purpose we examine the quantities of citrus fruit dealt with in the national whole-sale markets as regards the fruit quantities and referring particularly to the distribution over a year. Furthermore, there has also been a detailed analysis on the place of origin of the citrus fruits, divided by species and varieties with particular reference to pigmented or-anges produced in Sicily, on a representative sample of the markets of Northern Italy with direct surveys. That permitted the evaluation of the influence that the Sicilian citrus fruit produce on the national markets. The research has also shown that the extremely large concentration of the re-gional production in winter time has only been slightly effected by the regional, national and community regulations in the 1970’s.