Outlook stable for EU F&V production

The European Commission has published a report outlining its forecast for the region’s fruit and vegetable sector. While apple production area is expected to decrease, volumes are estimated to rise slightly in 2030 to 12 million tons (from 11.3 million tons in 2019) thanks to increasing yields. As for peaches and nectarines, increasing competition is predicted from other summer fruits, leading to a further fall in consumption. EU production is expected to remain stable at 4 million tons in 2030 (compared to 4.1 million tons in 2019). Similarly, orange (6.2 million tons) and tomato (7 million tons) production is expected to remain stable over the ten-year period. However, demand will increasingly shift from concentrates to fresh orange juice, while demand for processed tomatoes is projected to rise.