Following the success of last summer’s Peach and Nectarine Party, held in the Adriatic holiday resort of Cesenatico in northern Italy, the Romagna PGI Peach and Nectarine Consortium is once again inviting members of the public to take part in a series of beachside events this coming Friday and Saturday (11-12 July) as it bids to convey its message of health and enjoyment to consumers and remind them of the quality and nutritional value of the region’s stonefruit varieties.
In the magnificent surroundings of the Piazza Andrea Costa, next to the famous Grand Hotel, holidaymakers attending Pesche di Romagna in Festa will be treated to two nights of free entertainment courtesy of comedian Giuseppe Giacobazzi and music group Giuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters.
The event is being promoted by regional authority Regione Emilia Romagna as part of its ‘Sea of Flavours’ project, in collaboration with the Romagna PGI Consortium and local development body Gesturist, with the support of officials from the town of Cesenatico and the province of Forlì Cesena.
Romagna PGI peaches and nectarines will also be the centre of attention, underlining the link between the region and its stonefruit, which remains extremely popular among Italian consumers during the summer months. While the entertainment is in full swing, fruit salads of Romagna PGI peaches and nectarines, as well as other products typical of the region such as Reggiano Parmesan cheese, will be distributed to people in the piazza.
According to the latest figures published by Italian marketing organisation Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli, the country’s stonefruit crop is forecast to decrease in size by around 10 per cent this season to 1.4m tonnes.
Peach production across Italy is set to fall by around 9 per cent on last year’s figure to 654,851 tonnes, largely as a result of the predicted 12 per cent downturn in both Emilia Romagna and southern Italy to 112,933 tonnes and 325,455 tonnes respectively.
Nectarine volumes, meanwhile, appear set to fall by 10 per cent year-on-year to 695,566 tonnes, with the most notable falls in production once again forecast to occur in Emilia Romagna, down 16 per cent to 267,515 tonnes, and in the south, down 9 per cent to 246,298 tonnes.
For apricots, the situation appears to be more or less the same, with a 17 per cent reduction in volumes to 177,850 tonnes anticipated for the coming campaign. The downturn has been particularly sharp in Emilia Romagna, where growers are predicting a 27 per cent decrease in volumes to 42,900 tonnes.
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