Market data from the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) suggests that this year’s production of production of stone-fruits (peaches, nectarines and cherries) in the EU will be higher than last season thanks to favourable conditions across many member states, allowing larger exports and more domestic consumption.
However, higher food prices are anticipated to limit the rise in domestic consumption. According to Eurostat data, the area planted with peaches and nectarines in the EU is estimated at 189,000ha this year, down from 191,000ha last year, continuing the long-term trend of reduced planting due to low prices and Sharka disease.
The USDA also notes that, in Spain, farmers are switching to more profitable alternative tree crops such as nuts. EU production is expected to exceed last season’s levels and amount to 3.6 million tonnes, marking the third consecutive season where production levels have recovered.
The largest producers of peaches and nectarines in the EU are Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. Spain is the EU’s largest peach and nectarine producer, accounting for 40% of the bloc’s production. This year growing conditions in Spain have been favourable and production is projected to exceed five-year-average levels. However, uneven results are reported across different producing regions.
According to the National Service Centre of Fruit and Horticultural Companies (CSO), Italy’s peach and nectarine production is predicted to increase this year from the previous production, which was marked by frost and flooding in Emilia-Romagna. Greece’s peach and nectarine production is also expected to bounce back to 2022/23 levels. Elsewhere, the southern half of France, where most of the peaches and nectarines are grown, was less impacted by the wet spring that prevailed in other regions and fruit growth benefited from regular rain and mild weather, which allowed for improved yield expectations.
