The Melavì cooperative's crisis: the harvest is headed to Piedmont.

Ponte in Valtellina (Sondrio) – Problems abound, and fruit growers in Ponte in Valtellina , faced with the Melavì crisis , are seeking to source their apples elsewhere. Perhaps no other town is experiencing, and will continue to experience, the crisis of the Melavì cooperative like Ponte in Valtellina , which has entered into a simple composition with creditors, a liquidation proceeding. With this procedure, the administrators have decided to attempt to protect the company's assets and give the "world of Valtellina apples" a chance to prosper (the composition with creditors has been approved by the Sondrio Court on October 16). But let's take a look at the countermeasures taken by the Ponte in Valtellina fruit growers during the year of Melavì's dire crisis. "First of all, we must start from the fact that the apple sector has been in crisis for years, with a lot of cultivated land being lost," says Egidio Moltoni , a councilor for the Rhaetian municipality and a longtime member of the sector. "In Ponte in Valtellina, after the Melavì crisis, many fruit growers decided to deliver their harvests to the other five or six medium-sized farms in the area. Some of them, however, took their apples to Piedmont. The fruit growers opted for this solution to avoid losing their harvest."

But what will happen next year? "It's hard to say. For years now, there have been no more hobbyists (those who grew apples as a hobby and then delivered them at the end of the season) because between bureaucracy and certifications, it's really hard... there's no profit margin for them anymore. Compared to a few decades ago, even in Ponte, there are far fewer young people who want to grow apples and the land in general. There are some, and I'm pleased about that, but the numbers are significantly lower than they were in the 1990s." The situation isn't rosy at all.

But what should we expect for the future of fruit growing, in this case the apple sector, in Ponte and Valtellina in general? "The sector needs to be revitalized. The Region has launched important tenders that can help those who want to try their hand at this type of activity. In recent months, we've been looking for a solution to try to save the cooperative's warehouse and storage areas and thus give the Valtellina fruit growers united in a cooperative a chance for the future. Unity is strength. In my opinion, the various components must work together to find common ground and try to restart as a united entity that can promote Valtellina apples. All together."

Another cooperative? "Well, the formula isn't important. What's certain is that we need to find a way to present ourselves on the market as a unified entity."

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