During the Christmas period, peach and nectarine producers in Emilia-Romagna earned 20-25 cents less than expected for each kg of fruit.
"We can't say we are satisfied, as average prices were low. A lot say they were higher than 2015, but that wasn't a good year to start with. My company, for example, made on average €0.5088 per kg for excellent quality produce. White nectarines reached 54 to 57 eurocent/kg and yellow nectarines between 45 and 47 eurocent/kg and grades were mostly A and AA," reports Fabiano Mazzotti, spokesman for Gruppo trasversale agricoltori.
Producer Daniele Lega adds that "we are 20/25 eurocents/kg away from being even remotely happy. The average for me was 49 eurocents for Azurite, 50 for Big Top and Gea and 40 for Orion. But what worries me is not only the price but the context around it. This year, production decreased in many production areas, people talked about -30% in Spain and Italy. In the past, with similar years, profits were higher and covered us during not-so-good periods. This year, we broke even. Some are happy enough not to have lost money, but I'm not."
Lega owns 13 hectares in the Faenza province where it grows peaches and nectarines, apples and plums. "Another worrying fact is that the difference between high-quality and inferior produce is minimal. For example, the difference between AA and C grades is only 10-15 eurocents. Everyone says they focus on quality (which coincides with grades way too often) but it is not rewarded suitably."
"In the 1990s, we made between 800 and 1,000 Lira per kg in a year like this, which is more or less what we made in 2016, only costs have tripled since then!"