The largest producers of peaches and nectarines in Europe are Spain, Italy, Greece and France. The area has been under pressure in recent years and decreased to 229,000 hectares in 2016/2017. A stable area of 210,000 hectares is estimated for the season 2017/2018. This was reported by the USDA in a recent report. With the introduction of new varieties with a larger yield there has been more diversity in this segment. The harvest period has also been stretched, particularly in Spain.
The total European production for 2017/2018 is estimated at 4 million tonnes. This is 6% more than in the previous year. In the largest production areas a larger harvest is estimated due to favourable weather conditions.
The consumption is also expected to increase slightly in 2017/2018 and will reach 3 million tonnes. The volume for industrial processing will also rise by 13%, due to there being a larger supply than last year and the prices on the fresh market being low.
Europe is a net exporter of peaches and nectarines. The export value was 164 million dollars in 2016/2017: a decrease of 17% in value. The volume was 24% lower than in the previous year: 225,822 tonnes. The main destination for the stone fruit is Belarus, followed by Switzerland and Ukraine. There was also strong growth in the export from Greece and Spain to Serbia. In the first half of 2017 the export rose by 22% due to the demand in export markets rising. Due to a larger harvest being estimated for 2017/2018 the export volume is expected to rise further. The volume of before the Russian boycott may be achieved.
On the import side South Africa and Chile are the main suppliers. Europe imported a volume of 31,172 tonnes in 2016/2017, which is 82 million dollars. The import was higher as the previous year had a smaller harvest. In the first half of this year Europe imported 14% less peaches and nectarines from Chile and Turkey. The volume is expected to continue to decrease if the European volume is also higher in 2017/2018.