Italy: Stone Fruit Annual 2013

Italy is the largest peach and nectarine producer in the EU-28 and ranks second in the world after China. Italy’s MY 2013/14 peach and nectarine production is forecast to decline by 6.3 percent from the previous year, with a 5.7 percent decrease for peaches and a 5.8 percent decline for nectarines, mostly due to a long, cold, and rainy spring. The cling peach harvest is likely to drop 13 percent to 81,000 MT. Italy is the largest apricot producer in the EU-28, followed by France, Greece, and Spain. Italy’s MY 2013/14 apricot production is forecast to decline by 36.5 percent compared to the previous year, due to the heavy rains occurred during the blooming period.

Italy: Stone Fruit Annual 2013