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European stone fruits

Published on 6/06/2019 - Published by BENOIT-CELEYRETTE Cécilia
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Initial info on the 2019 harvest

The 2019 European stone fruit harvest forecasts were unveiled at the recent EuroMéditerranée show (Medfel), held in Perpignan in late April, and at the meeting organised in Lérida by Afrucat (23 May). The initial info presented indicates that the potential should be back to an average level for the peach and nectarine of 3.06 million tonnes (2 % above the 2013-2017 average). The apricot too should have a fine harvest (632 170 t, i.e. + 19 %), after a 2018 marked by climate accidents. The winter was mild overall in Spain, France and Italy, and mainly normal in Greece, which favoured good flowering; although there were a few frosts to report, and a bit of a delay in the northernmost production zones.

Informations

Product(s) : Apricot , Stone fruits , Nectarine , Peach
Rubrique / Thématique : Review and Forecasts
Country : Spain , Europe , France , Greece , Italy
Keywords : Production , Variety

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Good production level for the peach

As last year, the publication of the figures was deferred, since several countries, including Spain and Italy, took the view that there was still not enough info as at late April for a realistic campaign forecast for the peach and nectarine. So the meeting in late May enabled the potential to be evaluated more precisely. Nonetheless, the harvest confirmed the initial info glimpsed, with the potential set for a good level compared to last year in Spain (1.3 million tonnes, i.e. + 12 % on 2018), Italy (1.2 million tonnes, i.e. + 13 %) and above all in France (210 000 tonnes, i.e. + 17 %). So these potentials will be slightly above average for the season, with the exception of Greece, hit belatedly by the climate conditions (335 900 t, i.e. - 7 %).

However surface areas are tending to shrink for the peach and nectarine in Spain, including the flat peach in Murcia, where it is above all the momentum of the young orchards which is maintaining a good production level. Indeed an uprooting plan has been decided in Catalunya, following sales difficulties which the Russian veto has done nothing to improve. Surface areas are also falling in Italy in favour of the apricot, and could shrink further in the coming years with the expansion of the plum cultivation area. Conversely, the structural fall seen by France for nigh on twenty years, due to Sharka and economic difficulties, seems to have come to a halt. There is a little renewed interest in Pavie, after a long period of crisis and due to industry prices stabilising, encouraging certain producers to return to this variety, especially in Aragon and Greece

The good yields expected thanks to the favourable climate conditions in the winter, however, conceal disparities between the production zones. We must emphasise that Spain will see a modest return to production in the early zones (0 % compared to 2018 in Murcia, and + 5 % in Andalusia), because of the frosts. However, the increase could be more marked in June, with the Valencia zone (+ 28 %) and Catalunya zone (+ 28 %) entering production, followed by France (+ 18 to + 23 %), although it will only be 4 % in Rhône-Alpes. We can also expected good volumes throughout Italy (+ 14 to + 19 %), with the exception of Emilia-Romagna (+ 1 %) and Venezia / Friuli / Giulia (+ 8 %).

A fine apricot harvest despite a drop in Spain

A fine apricot harvest is expected, thanks to the modernisation of the orchards in the main European producer countries in recent years. However production should not set any records, because of a shortfall in Spain. It might not exceed 97 360 t (- 36 % on 2018) after three bumper production years, due to the frosts in late February in Murcia and Castilla-la-Mancha. However there should be a very good harvest level in France (157 800 t, i.e. + 43 %), without regaining the very good levels from 2012 or 2014 (> 170 000 tonnes), and in Italy (286 326 t, i.e. + 34 %), although there were some losses in the south (Sicily, Basilicata). Surface area expansion seems to be slowing, although it is continuing across Europe for the coloured varieties, with for example top grafting of some of the peach stock onto apricot in recent years, and the uprooting of Bulida aimed at the industrial sector in Murcia. Producers are also banking on other fruits such as persimmon and pomegranate in the Valencia zone, or even on new plum varieties, including plum and apricot hybrids in Spain, France and Italy, since unlike the other stone fruits this species does not suffer from overproduction. However, as for the peach, the potential could be cut short at the beginning of the season, with a 19 % fall from 2018 in Murcia. There should soon be a considerable increase in most parts of France (+ 16 to + 19 %) and in Italy, with + 21 % in the south and up to + 87 % in Emilia-Romagna.