The Forum on the European peach cultivation held at Macfrut revealed that 83% of the nectarine orchards planted between 2014 and 2016 are of the sweet type, only 17% are acidic varieties. As for peaches, sweet varieties represent 52% of new orchards while 48% are acidic.
What is more, according to Cso data, Italians have never stopped consuming peaches and nectarines, as 249 thousand tons were sold in 2008 and 271 thousand tons were sold in 2017. Average prices went from €1.61/kg in 2008 to €1.57/kg in 2017 (with a drop to €1.56/kg in 2009 and a peak of €1.80/kg in 2012).
The real drop concerns exports: while 326 thousand tons were exported in 2008, only 252 thousand tons were exported in 2017 (-26%). It's a vicious circle: exports dropped to the advantage of Spanish productions, so producers are paid less and plant less. This in turns means nurseries work less as well as those who manufacture technical tools. Warehouses can survive importing and reselling foreign produce, but the territory becomes poorer.
As for peaches, 9,800 hectares have been lost in the past 10 years (north: -47%, centre: -51%, south: -9%). Regarding nectarines, 7400 hectares have been lost in northern and central Italy, while another 180 hectares were planted in the south. The hectares dedicated to peach, percoca peach and nectarine productions were 77055 in 2008, dropped to 58110 in 2017.