A consistent number of problems faced by the Italian peach production are structural and it will take time and sacrifice to tackle everything.
The consumption of peaches and nectarines in Europe is slowing down despite the fact that the consumption of fruit is on the up. Peaches are suffering due to the competition with other summer fruit (apricots, cherries, plums, table grapes, soft fruit, melons, watermelons) as well as tropical fruit (bananas, pineapples, kiwis, apples and pears). The Russian ban and the global economic crisis further penalise Italian producers.
Italian production costs are only lower than the French ones and competition from Spain, Greece and Turkey is increasingly aggressive. Good quality is essential to be able to compete, but it is not enough for a mass production like the Italian one. France is the perfect example - good quality, high production costs and a continuous reduction of the cultivated areas.
There are too many varieties available - the CSO estimated that its partners (covering 16% of peach orchards) grow almost 500 varieties.
The main problem, though, is not so much the numerous cultivars but rather the lack of clear indications for what concerns the organoleptic qualities of yellow/white peaches-nectarines. Consumers should be aware of at least two additional aspects: sweet (subacidic) or acidic (traditional) flavour and firm, crunchy, low-evolution flesh (recent development) or rapid-evolution delinquescent flesh (more traditional).
The lack of information concerning existing implants (in terms of cultivars and therefore in terms of type and ripening calendar) is another weakness of the sector, as it makes a successful scheduling policy practically impossible.
Although it has improved lately, producer aggregation is still insufficient to be able to negotiate with retailers and to plan a national scheduling strategy.
For what concerns bureaucracy and the implementation of common regulations on both European and imported productions, there is still a lot to do, especially for what concerns the use of pesticides.
Public financing to support research and innovation is decreasing, so a further commitment of the private sector is desirable. Something seems to finally be happening in this regard.