Introduction of new low impact techniques to valorise peach cultivation in the Marche region

The main problems of the Italian peach sector are mainly represented by early collections, absent communication to consumers, confusion in the types of goods, too many varieties and not all suited to the territories. All this leads to liquidations of peaches that are on average lower than production costs and to consumers who are on average dissatisfied, so as to reduce purchases every year. Furthermore, the consumer never knows what he is going to buy at the supermarket when he approaches a peach or nectarine, as the type of flavor is not indicated (whether acid or sub-acid). Peaches and nectarines represent one of the main fruit products for Italy and, with a production of around 1,360,000 tons, Italy plays the European record with Spain. In Europe over the last 10 years peach production has grown steadily, with exponential peaks of new plants in Spain, a country that today holds the leadership as the main producer in the Old Continent. The Italian offer of nectarine peaches, despite the increase compared to the previous year, was positioned below 4% compared to the average of recent years. To determine the negative situation for Italy is the strong competition outside national borders. For this reason it is essential to aim for the creation of a quality product and not quantity. Thanks to peaches and nectarines, over 100,000 people work in Italy, including the processing and packaging industries.