Weather conditions will drop world production of peaches and nectarines in 2020/21

The world production of peach and nectarine is expected to decrease by 1.1 million tons to 21.0 million tons, as adverse weather conditions affect the production of the largest producers, China and the European Union. World trade is expected to contract as a result of reduced global supplies. Production in China is expected to drop by 500,000 tons to 14.5 million tons due to the heavy snowfall in April that impacted the fruit in most peach-producing provinces. Exports are expected to decline by a third to 80,000 tons as Russia continues its ban on imports of fruit from China, including stone fruit. Russia is China's third largest market before the ban. The country initiated the action in August 2019 due to phytosanitary concerns, with imports to China estimated at more than 40 percent to 38,000 tons, indicating a surge in supplies from Chile at the start of the sales season before the Covid-19 - disruptions had an impact on the shipments. EU production is expected to fall more ...