After the cold that we saw during the first few days of January and the low temperatures in the weeks that followed, new potato production across Sicily seems rather varied.

Thanks to greater levels of air flow, crops located closest to the coast have suffered only minor frost damage, unless they were fields in an advanced stage of growth (late season crops that were planted in September), where the lower temperatures have heavily damaged the aerial parts of the plants. 
The great variability in January’s weather, hitting peaks of 17 °C during the day and night time temperatures of 4-5 °C (or even less), has had an influence on how the plants grow, causing “leopard spot” frost damage to appear in some areas. 
The technical service of Romagnoli F.lli S.p.A. explains that, for crops that were planted during the second half of October in 2018, harvesting in Sicily will begin between the last ten days of March and the first ten days of April. These crops, which won’t have been damaged by the cold, shall ensure that customers and consumers can be guaranteed the typical excellence of Sicilian new potatoes, which are famous for their uniquely elongated shape, their tender and fine skins, and their delicate flavour.