Consorzio Melinda closes the season with the highest payout to members in its history

Consorzio Melinda has announced that it closed the commercial campaign 2025/26 with the highest payout to members in its history.

The Board of Directors presented the figures ahead of the November general meeting, stressing that the result was achieved in a context of profound uncertainty. The overall situation is affected by geopolitical tensions, difficulties in international trade and rising costs, which continue to impact the budgets of families and businesses in Italy and Europe and, inevitably, those of agricultural businesses too.

International difficulties

Exports were among the most challenging areas. The conflicts currently under way have made some of the main international shipping routes more complex and less safe. Several containers remained blocked or difficult to retrieve for weeks, and the Consortium had to identify alternative logistics routes in order to continue reaching foreign markets. These difficulties were compounded by high energy costs and the general increase in production costs, with a direct effect on businesses’ profitability: expenses are increasing and the margin left to each individual fruit grower is shrinking.

Economic figures

It is against this backdrop that the campaign’s economic figures take on even greater significance. Against an apple harvest of 2025 amounting to over 410.000 tonnes, approximately 10% more than in the previous year, the commercial campaign generated gross revenue of approximately 390 million euros. The payout to members exceeded 220 million euros, the highest value ever reached in the Consortium’s history.

The comment

“It is a result that gives us satisfaction because it rewards the work of the members, the cooperatives and all the staff, to whom we extend our sincere thanks, but it must be viewed within a very complex context, characterised by profound uncertainty,” stresses the president of Consorzio Melinda, Ernesto Seppi. “Farming today means bearing high costs, facing growing risks and taking responsibility for a business every day, while margins continue to shrink. Our task is to do everything possible to ensure that the work and risk undertaken by our members are matched by adequate remuneration.”

The issue of water scarcity

Alongside the markets, Melinda is drawing attention to another issue destined to become increasingly strategic for agriculture: the availability of water. According to Ispra, in 2022 the annual availability of water resources in Italy fell to approximately 67 billion cubic metres, the lowest value ever recorded since 1951 and approximately 50% below the average for the reference thirty-year period. Trentino is also showing signs that require attention. According to measurements by Meteotrentino, the spring of 2026 was among the warmest and driest of the past few decades.

For the Consortium, the issue concerns both irrigation during periods of drought and the possibility of supplying anti-frost systems, which are essential for protecting blossoms from spring frosts. Alongside water availability, there is also the issue of plant-health protection, with problems such as the brown marmorated stink bug and apple proliferation continuing to have a direct impact on the work and profitability of businesses. Linking water management and the protection of crops against pathogens is climate change, which makes water availability more uncertain while also encouraging the spread of plant diseases.

“Water and protection of production are two priorities that cannot be addressed only when an emergency arises,” adds Seppi. “Research, planning and the ability to act promptly are needed. As regards plant-health protection, we recognise the expertise and commitment of those working in the area, but precisely for this reason we expect an increasingly attentive presence in the field and responses matching the speed with which problems can develop.”

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.