The technical committee of Italian fresh produce trade organisation Fruitimprese has said it expects strong pricing from the start of the winter fruit campaign as a result of lower production of key products including apples, pears and kiwifruit.
At a meeting in Rome, the organisation unveiled its analysis of the prospects for the upcoming winter season and also published its report into the recent summer fruit campaign.
According to the group, the 2010 summer fresh produce campaign was 'generally more positive than the preceding one, although without fully satisfying industry expectations'.
While the campaign reportedly got underway with good prices and high levels of available product quality, the start of August onwards saw a general decline in pricing throughout the remainder of the season, Fruitimprese said.
Explaining the loss in market buoyancy, Fruitimprese pointed to periods of poor weather across Europe over the summer months, which it said had prompted a fall in consumer demand for products like peaches and nectarines.
Turning its attention to the winter campaign, the group confirmed that Italian apple, kiwifruit and in particular pear production would be down on the previous year.
It also invited producers and suppliers to pay 'maximum attention' to their sales and urged them not to get carried away by the anticipated strong pricing.
While apple and pear quality is expected to be normal, Fruitimprese reported a possible issue in terms of kiwifruit sizing in certain production areas, mainly as a result of poor pollination during the flowering stage.
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