Two of Europe’s most important fresh produce associations have agreed to communicate more closely and more often over the coming months in order to exchange information about the Mediterranean stonefruit campaign and, presumably, reduce the negative impact of potential overlaps in supply, Eurofruit has learned.
Representatives from Catalan producers’ association Afrucat and Italian fresh produce agency Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO) met at the latter’s headquarters in Ferrara last week and are now planning to share production and supply data during the new season for peaches and nectarines in order to improve their respective planning.
Turning a profit from fresh peaches an nectarines in Europe has become extremely difficult for many suppliers especially in Italy over the past decade, with growers facing a whole range of different challenges including falling consumption levels, rising costs, greater competition from other countries and a lack of alternative markets.
“Opening a forum for meeting and exchange with a technical organisation like Afrucat is without doubt a great opportunity to monitor the development of peach and nectarine production with the aim of collaborating, even though we are competing countries,” commented CSO director Elisa Macchi.
“Knowledge of the market dynamics is one strategic tool [we can use] to address the market better, and let’s not forget that Catalonia has become one of the major areas in Spain when it comes to peach and nectarine production.”
Gianni Amidei, head of CSO’s peach and nectarine department, agreed there was a need to work more closely with producers in other countries, especially Spain.
“We ended our meeting with everyone wanting to confer with Afrucat on the upcoming peach and nectarine campaign at least once a fortnight, in order to have a continuous exchange of useful information that will support the 2016 commercial campaign.”
Based in Emilia-Romagna, CSO represents some of Italy’s major stonefruit exporters, including Alegra, Apo Conerpo, Apofruit Italia, Orogel Fresco, Naturitalia, Europ Fruit, Cico Mazzoni.
Afrucat members in Ferrara, meanwhile, included Fruits de Ponent, Actel, Coop de Seròs, Coop de Soses, Viyefruit and Fruilar, alongside Afrucat director Manel Simon.
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