Citrus fruits of Calabria

Calabria produces about a quarter of the national citrus fruit production. Reggio Calabria is the province with the largest number of citrus farms, followed by Cosenza. These two provinces, thanks to their high territorial dimension, produce a quantity always higher than 70% of the total for each species produced. In all provinces the most cultivated species is the orange, followed by clementines in the provinces of Cosenza and Catanzaro and by mandarins in all the others.

The importance of Calabria in the Italian citrus growing is mainly due to clementines, of which it concentrates about 63% of the total production; less important are oranges (32%), mandarins (39.1%) and lemons (4.6%).

Citrus fruits of Calabria: the most common varieties

The most common varieties of oranges are: blond, Valencia, Washinton navel, Navelina and Ovale calabrese among those with blond pulp; tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello among those with pigmented pulp. In the production of clementines, which has overtaken that of oranges in the Sibari plain and in Corigliano, the most widespread variety is the common clementine, recently joined by the late-ripening Rubino and the early-ripening Marisol. There is no varietal specialisation for the mandarin, which is grown as a common variety and with traditional techniques in the Gioia Tauro Plain.

The Sibari plain (with the production of Valencia, Washington navel, Navelina, Tarocco and Moro), the Lamezia plain (with Tarocco, Valencia and Navelina) and the Croton area are characterised by advanced citrus growing, modern plantations and an advanced degree of mechanisation of cultivation techniques.

In the Catanzaro and Reggio Ionian strip there is a production of excellent quality thanks to good soil and climate conditions. What constitutes the specificity of Calabrian citrus production is the monopoly of some products (citron and bergamot) and the higher quality of others (clementines).