Italian agency CSO has released updated official forecasts for stonefruit production in Europe this season, revising the figures downwards from those presented at trade event Europêch in April.
According to the new figures, Europe's combined peach and nectarine crop will be 7 per cent lower than in 2012, and 8 per cent lowe than the average for the previous five years.
European peach and nectarine production had been forecast to rise by 3 per cent and 4 per cent compared with last season, to 1.44m and 1.57m tonnes respectively.
Production of the two fruits in Italy will be around 1.52m tonnes in 2013 – 7 per cent lower than the volume it turned out last year – with both peaches and nectarines equally affected by the expected decrease.
CSO also reported forecasts for its major European competitors, predicting a major decline in Greece's peach and nectarine production by 24 per cent to 175,000 tonnes and 29 per cent to 57,000 tonnes respectively.
France's entire peach and nectarine crop is due to shrink by 8 per cent to 258,000 tonnes, the agency said, while Spain is due to buck the trend when it comes to peaches with a 293,000-tonne crop, up 12 per cent on 2012. Nectarine output is due to fall 7 per cent in Spain, although CSO did not give a volume figure.
Interestingly, Spain's flat peach crop (not included in the figure above) continues to grow, with the forecast up 7 per cent this season at around 130,000 tonnes.
