The Chinese name of 'Stone Fruit' is' hard core fruit ', mainly referring to fruits with a thin outer skin, soft and juicy flesh, and a hard core. From a specific analogy, it can be divided into two categories: sticky and non sticky, with varieties including peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, apricots, mangoes, lychees, olives, and dates. These fruits play different roles in the global market due to their nutritional value, planting conditions, and processing capabilities. Among them, peaches and nectarines have relatively low requirements for the growth environment, high yields, and can be processed for long-term storage and relatively good taste, becoming the largest categories of international trade in "stone head fruits", meeting the needs of different regions and social groups.
The United States is an important participant in peaches and nectarines worldwide. According to monitoring data from the US Department of Agriculture, this year (2023/04 planting season), the production of peaches and nectarines in the United States is expected to drop to its lowest level in 40 years, with only 574000 tons expected. Many major peach and nectarine producing areas in the United States have been affected by abnormal weather conditions. The heavy rainfall and low temperatures in California before the fruit flowering season, as well as the freezing weather in South Carolina and Georgia after the fruit flowering season in March, are the main reasons for the yield reduction. After maintaining stable yields for nearly 30 years, the 2011/12 planting season began with a unilateral decline in peach and nectarine yields in the United States, gradually decreasing from 1.2 million tons to 700000 tons. Over the past five years, the production of peaches and nectarines in the United States has remained stable, with annual production ranging from 650000 to 710000 tons. As a state with 80% and almost 100% of peach and nectarine production in the United States, California has a significant impact on US supply. The weakening demand for processed peach products in the global market has had a significant impact on California's sticky peach production. This planting season, California's sticky walnut production decreased by 43%, while nectarine production fell below 100000 tons for the first time since the 1970s, bringing about expected changes in both the US domestic consumer market and global trade. This year, exports of peaches and nectarines from the United States will decrease by 11000 tons to 50000 tons, while imports will remain at a low level of 32000 tons. The increase in shipments from Mexico will compensate for the decline in Chile.
Looking globally, the production of fresh peaches and nectarines is expected to increase by 827000 tons this year, reaching 25 million tons. The main increase in production comes from China and the European Union. Supported by the recovery of Spain's supply capacity, global exports of these two types of fruits will also increase by 62000 tons, reaching 874000 tons. In terms of imports, the increasing demand from Iraq and Kazakhstan is expected to drive the global import volume of two types of fruits to increase by 21000 tons, reaching 852000 tons.
