Europe looks to the skies

The latest update provided by the European stonefruit forum Europêch' predicts a slight decrease in the overall European crop, when compared to initial forecasts given in April.

The total has now fallen to 2.86 million tonnes for the triumvirate of fresh peaches and nectarines and peaches for processing.

A closer look at the individual figures of the major producing countries shows local differences, but the origin of the sector's problems is decidedly poor weather throughout the continent.

The effect of spring frosts in Greece were underestimated by Europêch' and Hellenic production of peaches and nectarines will not now exceed 286,200t, compared with 360,000t last season. Additionally, quality is reported as poor and the size of the fruit has been negatively affected.

A similar observation must be made for Italy (new figure: 1,506,800t). Emilia–Romagna and other central regions of the country also suffered from the cold and will see volume reductions as a result. Happily, later varieties produced in Piedmont and early production in the South have shown greater increases than expected.

Europêch' predictions for France and Spain remain valid, with the neighbours producing 463,000t and 607,000t respectively.

The adverse weather has had a stronger effect on the production timetable. Bad conditions in April and May in Spain delayed the crop in the early fruit production areas. The Greek industry's June varieties were also knocked off schedule.

As a result, a collision between extreme early production in Spain and early crops in southern Italy and the French Pyrénées has meant a very tricky beginning of the season for operators across Europe.

The situation in France, for instance, is seen as 'catastrophic' by many, as the country simultaneously faces a drop in internal consumption brought on by heavy rains, massive Spanish tonnage on the local market and strong competition from Italy in one of its key export markets, Germany.

The European stonefruit community can do little more than continue looking to the skies for assistance, in the sound knowledge that peaches and nectarines still retain their popularity.