According to the European Commission's report on agricultural market prospects for the summer of 2022, EU consumption of fresh peaches and nectarines is expected to grow this year by 3% compared to 2021 and stand at 6.1 kilos per capita, despite the weakening purchasing power of European consumers. Despite representing a certain recovery in consumption, this figure is 5% lower than the average consumption of the last five years. According to the European Commission, consumption growth will be driven by higher fresh production, good weather, and the return of tourism.
This year, European production will grow as a whole, according to data from France, Italy, and Greece, despite the strong setback in Spain caused by the adverse weather in spring. In particular, the Commission report, analyzed by FEPEX, states that the EU production of peaches and nectarines in 2022 will increase by 3% over the previous year to 3.4 million tons. This figure, however, is 9% lower than average production in the last five years.
According to the report, even though the expected higher production should also boost exports, EU exports of peaches and nectarines will remain stable at around 140,000 tons (+2% year-on-year). The current difficulties in exporting to the East (e.g. Belarus and Ukraine, which are among the top 5 destinations of Community production) will have a negative impact on sales.
EU peach and nectarine imports from third countries are expected to increase by 11%, totaling 47,000 tons in 2022.
Source: fepex.es