The Italian apple sector has enjoyed a strong start to the 2009/10 season, with the volume of new fruit sold up to the end of the year reported to be at record levels, a new report published by Italian apple industry body Assomela has claimed.
The report indicated that harvested production of apples within the European Union this season was 10.93m tonnes, down 5 per cent compared with the figure for 2008.
Apple output in Italy, meanwhile, was officially recorded at 2.24m tonnes for the current campaign, a 3 per cent increase on the year-earlier period.
Assomela confirmed that apple production in the country was 'good to excellent', although some excess colouring for early-harvesting varieties had occurred due to hot weather last August.
'Sizes ended up being larger than normal and particularly suited to the preferences of Italian consumers,' the group said in a statement.
Sales from the outset of the Italian campaign until the end of last month have been 'very high', the report continued, with a total of 736,510 tonnes sold compared with the 703,668 tonnes sold by 31 December 2008.
In December alone, a record 181,382 tonnes of Italian apples – 11 per cent more than in 2008 and 21 per cent more than in 2007 – were apparently sold.
'As of 31 December 2009, stocks are only slightly higher than in 2008 and the main varieties are reported to be at broadly normal levels,' the association commented.
Golden, Gala, Granny
Sales of Golden Delicious in particular have been 'very high', the report noted, especially in Trentino Alto Adige, where 65,906 tonnes were sold in the month of December, 8.6 per cent more than in December 2008.
This contributed to a total of 175,539 tonnes sold up to the end of the year, 9.1 per cent up on the previous season's equivalent figure.
Stocks of Golden Delicious in Trentino Alto Adige as of 31 December 2009 were 3 per cent lower than at the same time a year before, the report said.
Gala sales during the same period, meanwhile, were higher than ever before, Assomela revealed, something which has relieved pressure on what is a bigger crop – 290,506 tonnes of the variety were produced this season against 265,438 tonnes for 2008/09.
'Stocks up to today are in line with the previous season and, should this be confirmed in the next few weeks, this variety's season could end earlier than normal.'
A trend towards decumulation of Granny Smith stocks was also visible, the report added. For all the other major varieties, the trend was largely comparable, it said.
'The overall judgement on the how the market is going today is very positive in terms of the volumes sold,' said a spokesperson for Assomela.
'Signs of a slight recovery in demand are also being seen in other European countries, which suggests room on the market could grow. That's certainly encouraging for an easing of competitive pressure within the market.'
Thus far, all producer organisations have noted a very positive sales trend, the group concluded, which may reasonably lead to a recovery in prices.
During the next few weeks forecasts for exports from the Southern Hemisphere will be available, making it easier to ascertain the likely course the market will take in 2009/10.
No comments yet