This is what emerged from OI Pera data processed by the CSO.
As regards pear stocks in Emilia-Romagna, data concerning early December shows that sales have been quite lively - as of December 1, 2014, 53% of stored pears have been sold against the 40% of last year. Demand is strong for all varieties: 45% of Abate Fetel have already been sold, whereas last year only 27% of the produce had been sold.
Despite a production of Abate that was 18% more than the previous year, availability was down by 11% thanks to bigger sales in autumn.
"The sales campaign has been pretty active so far, which can be seen by the percentages sold," comments Gianni Amidei, chairman of OI Pera.
"Demand has slowed down in the past few days, but it is quite common this time of year as people tend to buy more citrus fruit. Quality is good anyway, which should be a guarantee for the months to come."