Apricot cropping in Emilia-Romagna: market and profitability
1991
Bertazzoli, A.
In the last years an average of thirty-eight thousand tons of apricots have been produced in Emilia-Romagna, an amount equal to more than 20% of the national supply. Apricot orchards concern an area which has been increasing over the last years from 2.8 thousand hectares (1986) to 3.3 thousand hectares (1988). The production cost is equal to over 13 million Lit per hectare, about 660 thousand Lit per ton and it has been calculated with regard to specific area and management techniques. Collected data on prices for 1986–88 crops show a very wide range, due to differences in ripening periods and fruit quality. The weighted average price is just a little less than 6 hundred Lit per kilogram, in relation to the hypotheses considered to calculate the production cost. A rather high production quota (about 40–50% according to many operators) is addressed to industrial processing. In regard to fresh consumption, about one half is addressed to the domestic market, while the other is addressed to foreign markets (mainly W. Germany and Switzerland). Qualitative aspects researched by consumers are, as usual, size, colour, sweetness and earliness. Actually these targets seem to be in conflict. Until now the market has favoured the earliness more than other qualities.
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