Following three years of falling sales, the introduction of new, better varieties appears to have arrested the country’s decline
Italy’s peach and nectarine industry appears to moving with the times. With the introduction of new products, including so-called flat peaches as well as later-maturing varieties, there are signs that producers have gone some way towards arresting the sector’s recent downturn.
Daria Lodi, analyst at CSO Italy, says the signs are certainly positive. In a recent presentation to industry leaders, she used GfK data to reveal that peach consumption in Italy rose by 1 per cent in 2023, while nectarine consumption increased by 3 per cent.
“There was a 12 per cent increase in peach purchases among those under 35, perhaps due to the effect of flat peaches,” she notes.
Key to that improvement, it would seem, is the recent strategic shift towards a better spread of varieties across the season. This has apparently enabled retailers to sustain consumer demand for longer than before.
In the retail arena, CSO points to 8 per cent sales growth among discount chains, and 11 per cent growth among specialist independent greengrocers, in 2023. That marks a reversal of three years’ worth of lower sales.
“Purchases of nectarines increased by 5 per cent in the over-65 age group,” Lodi adds. “This is also an unexpected trend considering that until a few years ago the nectarine was the favourite of young people.”
In Emilia-Romagna, the country’s main growing region for stonefruit, a decline in planted area for nectarines has reportedly been reversed.
Today, the region has around 4,800ha of nectarine production and 1,700ha of peach orchards, accounting for a quarter of the country’s total.
Protection and promotion
“These figures underline the fact that there is room for growth in terms of volumes produced and marketed, especially at a time like the current one where local is a value recognised by the consumer,” comments Paolo Pari, head of sales and marketing at Apofruit, and president of the Romagna PGI Peaches and Nectarines consortium.
Earlier this summer, the group launched a new, two-year marketing campaign aimed at consumers aged 25-45 years old. The project, which aims to reach 60m people using photo and video content on digital channels, will tell the story of Romagna’s peach and nectarine producers and their daily challenges.
One of those challenges is the increasingly unpredictable nature of the weather as a result of climate change.
Valtiero Mazzotti, general director of the Agriculture Department of the Emilia Romagna Region, recently oversaw the launch of a ‘protected orchards’ plan to stimulate the creation of 1,000 hectares of new, climate resilient fruit production.
“Our belief is that constant, high-quality production is needed to successfully maintain and relaunch fruit production,” he declares.
“Our PGI brand can ensure consistent supply and enable us to restore the reliability of our production system, which can return to providing good returns and good employment.”
