INCOME OF APRICOT CULTIVATION IN ITALY

In the last three years an average of one hundred forty thousand tons of apricots had been produced in Italy, ranging from a minimum of 104 thousand tons in 1995 to a maximum of 179 thousand tons in 1994. Meanwhile the surface devoted to apricot cultivation was quite stable, just over 16 thousand hectares.
The main production region are Campania, Emilia-Romagna and Basilicata.
As regards the qualitative aspects, we should emphatize that the production doesn’t always fit the request of demand for fresh consumption.
Collected data on prices for 1987–96 crops show a very wide range, on account of different year and fruit quality.
The average price paid to the farmers shows a high variability, particularly in the last three years, due to fluctuation of domestic supply.
The analysis of production costs has been developed with regard to specific areas, in the above mentioned regions.
The unit cost is equal to 859 Lit per kilo in Ravenna, 706 Lit/kilo in Salerno and 798 Lit/kilo in Matera.
As a relevant quota of the total production is addressed to processing plants, the prices for fresh consumption product do not seem to be always good enough, so the lowering of production costs seems to be necessary to keep alive the interest in apricot growing.

XI International Symposium on Apricot Culture

F. Alvisi, A. Bertazzoli, C. Pirazzoli

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.488.3