Apple farmers in northern Italy have a new way of getting their harvest down the hills and into storage in caves below – a cable car system dedicated to transporting the fruit.
The cable car line in the Val di Non in the Dolomites covers a distance of 1.3 km (0.8 miles) and a 90-metre drop.
Officials from the local Melinda apple-producing consortium estimate it will eliminate 5,000 lorry trips annually. It can carry 460 containers over the course of an hour, each weighing 300 kg.
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The cable car was developed by specialist Italian company Leitner and local workers, with 40% of the funding coming from the European Union’s post-COVID recovery funds.
Melinda President Ernesto Seppi called the cableway “a source of pride” and part of a broader sustainability strategy that includes the use of renewable energy, drip irrigation to help conserve water, and natural cold storage.
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