Excellent start of the apple production campaign in Italy
Ricardo Lopes
Published Dec 22, 2020
Excellent market debut for Italian apples, with production in line with last year's quantities and prices significantly higher than the initial ones of the 2019/2020 and 2018/19 campaigns.
The latest estimates by ASSOMELA indicate a national production of 2.1M MT (+ 1% on last year) accompanied by an excellent quality of the apples in the various productive regions and medium sized sizes for all the varieties, thanks to a stable summer climate, not excessively hot, which allowed an optimal growth of the fruits.
As regards the original market, the shortage of summer fruit (in particular peaches and nectarines) favored the sales of apples also in the summer until the residual stocks of the previous campaign were exhausted. Then, in August, the apples of the new harvest found an adequate space on the market.
A further element that could have a positive impact on the market in the coming months is the production contraction recorded in France (-18%) and Spain (-27%) as this could translate into greater exports for Italian producers, in particular for the product of medium-high quality range.
The good trend of the original price lists, the prospects of an increase in exports alongside the re-invigoration of domestic consumption caused by the pandemic in Italy and Europe have determined a marked improvement in the sentiment of agricultural companies in the apple sector compared to a year ago. Indeed, the confidence climate index developed by ISMEA indicates greater satisfaction for the companies in the sector about the current situation and a certain optimism regarding the evolution of the business in the medium term (2-3 years). Of all farms, fruit farms currently show the highest level of confidence.
The latest estimates by ASSOMELA indicate a national production of 2.1M MT (+ 1% on last year) accompanied by an excellent quality of the apples in the various productive regions and medium sized sizes for all the varieties, thanks to a stable summer climate, not excessively hot, which allowed an optimal growth of the fruits.
As regards the original market, the shortage of summer fruit (in particular peaches and nectarines) favored the sales of apples also in the summer until the residual stocks of the previous campaign were exhausted. Then, in August, the apples of the new harvest found an adequate space on the market.
A further element that could have a positive impact on the market in the coming months is the production contraction recorded in France (-18%) and Spain (-27%) as this could translate into greater exports for Italian producers, in particular for the product of medium-high quality range.
The good trend of the original price lists, the prospects of an increase in exports alongside the re-invigoration of domestic consumption caused by the pandemic in Italy and Europe have determined a marked improvement in the sentiment of agricultural companies in the apple sector compared to a year ago. Indeed, the confidence climate index developed by ISMEA indicates greater satisfaction for the companies in the sector about the current situation and a certain optimism regarding the evolution of the business in the medium term (2-3 years). Of all farms, fruit farms currently show the highest level of confidence.
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