Italian pear crop decimated

CSO Italy has announced a 34% drop in Italy’s 2019/20 pear crop. The total harvest is expect to reach 511,000 tons. The fall is spread across all of the main varieties, especially for Conference, Abate and Kaiser, less so for William B.C., Santa Maria and Max Red Bartlett.

The contraction in production has been attributed to several factors. Besides problems in the flowering and setting phase, bugs have attacked some crops. Moreover, there has been a decrease in production areas, with the key Emilia Romagna region’s surface falling 3%. This decline in surface areas shows no sign of abating for traditional varieties.