Europe can look forward to increased peach, nectarine and apricot crops this season.
At the Europech' conference in Perpignan on April 28-29, delegates from the stone-fruit industry across the Continent heard that crops have largely recovered from last year's disastrously low volumes and are predicted to see a rise of 37.81 per cent on peaches and 21.93 per cent on apricots.
Production conditions have been kinder this year - with the key exception of Spain's Valencia region - and as a result volumes in most cases are likely to also be above the five-year average, which has been calculated omitting 2003, showing a rise of 11 per cent.
In 2004, data showed that France is forecast to produce 380,000 tonnes of peaches; Spain 1.144 million tonnes; Italy 1.717mt and Greece 977,000t.
This compares to total volumes produced last year of: 349,000 tonnes in France, 1.227 mt in Spain, 1.353mt in Italy and 132,000t in Greece.
Across Spain, the crops in Andalusia and Murcia are more or less in line with last year and recent averages, while Extremadura has seen volumes fall on last year's high volume season. But it is in Valencia where the inclement weather earlier this spring has taken its toll decimating the crop to around half the levels of last year and the five-year average. Frosts struck in late February and early in March on four consecutive nights damaging blossoms that had developed early thanks to mild winter weather. Later in March frosts caused further damage to surviving blossom.
Although France also suffered some of the same cold conditions, damage to peach production has not been so serious as varieties are later fruiting. Production is forecast to rise nine per cent on last year's frost struck season, although it will still be 13.6 per cent below the five-year average.
In Italy, production in Emilia Romagna of peaches is forecast to rise six per cent on last year and in the other key growing area of southern Italy it should be up to 769,200t compared to 555,900t. Total Italian production is forecast to increase above both last year's levels by 27.26 per cent and above the five year average by 7.6 per cent.
On apricots, production is up across Europe except for Spain where predictions are for a fall by 13.23 per cent to 106,900t. Greek production should surpass the five-year average by some 20,000t to 72,000t - up almost 50 per cent on last year. In France production is forecast up 33 per cent to 109,900t - six per cent above the five-year figure. And in Italy the apricot forecast is for a 41 per cent larger crop at 152,300t, although still 17 per cent adrift of the five-year average.
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