For the third consecutive season, the 2016 campaign has been marked by a particularly mild winter, which raised fears of a winter with a lack of cold and a poor performance of certain cold-demanding varieties, especially in the most Southern production areas.
From the end of January, a few episodes of frost were recorded in certain early areas, particularly in Southern Italy and in the Region of Murcia. In early March, the weather conditions deteriorated, with a return to normal temperatures or even below normal levels, some frosts and numerous hail episodes.
The lack of winter cold for some varieties, changes in the flowering between varieties that usually inter-pollinate, the rain and cold during the flowering, as well as the frost and hail, are all ingredients that can potentially bring the apricot production to levels far from those of 2015 and well below normal.
The 2016 apricot harvest was globally low, with the four producing countries having a total yield of fewer than 490,000 tonnes. This year, Spain is the only country with a declining forecast compared to last year. Despite strong dynamics in terms of varietal renewal in both traditional and new production areas, the introduction of new orchards does not compensate for losses in the region of Murcia and Castile-La Mancha. With just over 102,000 tonnes, Spain has had a 17% decline in the harvest compared with 2016, but this volume is still 13% above the 2011/2015 average.
Greece, Italy and France had been affected by several weather issues (frost, hail, etc.), and are returning to optimum production levels, with +41%, +20% and +39% increases, respectively, compared to 2016. In these four countries, the 2017 harvest should amount to around 570,000 tonnes, i.e. +17% compared to 2016 and +10% compared to the 2011/2015 average.
Apricots have enjoyed a real dynamism in all the production basins, no doubt in response to the crises that peaches and nectarines are experiencing in the European market, and this dynamic is boosted by the varietal supply, which has never been so abundant and diverse with early, late varieties, etc.