PEACHES
Peaches (Prunus persica) are native to Western China. Peaches remains culturally significant in China, where they carries multiple meanings — from immortality in Taoist mythology to good fortune and beauty
Peaches are popular worldwide, with an annual production near 20 million tons Although it is widely accepted that peaches originated in China, much of the evolutionary history of the fruit remains unknown. The oldest archaeological evidence dates roughly to 8,000 years ago, but no wild population has ever been found. The discovery of Prunus kunmingensis — an extinct species of prehistoric peach known from eight fossilized peach pits (endocarps) found in Kunming, southwestern China — supports the belief that the peach originated in China.
Peter WILF of Pennsylvania State University said: “The peach was a witness to the human colonization of China. It was there before humans, and through history we adapted to it and it to us “It’s something that would have had a fleshy, edible fruit around it. It must have been delicious.”
Peaches Domesticated in China 7,500 Years Ago
In September 2014, researchers at the University of Toronto announced that peaches were domesticated in China at least 7,500 years ago. Archeology magazine reported: “Farmers began to domesticate peach trees 7,500 years ago in the lower Yangtze River Valley of southern China, according to a new study of ancient peach pits conducted by Yunfei Zheng and X. Chen of the Zhejiang Institute of Archaeology, and Gary Crawford of the University of Toronto. Since peach trees mature quickly and produce fruit within two to three years, the results of selective breeding for preferred traits, such as larger, sweeter peaches, would have been seen by early farmers relatively quickly. And peach pits survive in the archaeological record. [Source: Archeology magazine, September 9, 2014 ]
“By comparing peach pits from six sites that spanned a period of 5,000 years, the scientists determined that peaches were indeed growing larger in the Yangtze Valley, becoming the fruit we recognize today over a period of about 3,000 years. “We’re suggesting that very early on, people understood grafting and vegetative reproduction, because it sped up selection. They had to have been doing such work, because seeds have a lot of genetic variability, and you don’t know if a seed will produce the same fruit as the tree that produced it. It’s a gamble. If they simply started grafting, it would guarantee the orchard would have the peaches they wanted,” Crawford told Science Daily.”
Peach Symbolism in China
In China, peaches are associated with long life, good health and sex. Both Chinese and Arabs regard the fury cleft on one side of the peach as symbol of the female genitalia. Peach trees mean dreams can come true. Beginning in the 2nd century B.C., Taoist kept peach-wood charms to ward off evil. Sometimes handmade noodles are served on birthdays for long life.
According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The queen mother of the west (Xiwangmu) figured in stories about the peaches of immortality that grew in her celestial peach orchard. The peaches conferred immortality on anyone who ate them. Xiwangmu freely offered the peaches to gods and to certain deserving mortals, and they were served at banquets she hosted. Sometimes, however, peaches were taken without her permission. For example, the legendary Han-dynasty official Dongfang Suo stole peaches from the orchard and thus illegitimately achieved immortality. [Source: Joyce Denney, Department of Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art metmuseum.org \^/]
“The peach, even without the physical presence of Xiwangmu, had a strong link to longevity. The peach is seen in drinking cups, decorative vases, and even scholars' objects such as ink tablets. Works with patterns of blossoming peach branches and trees evoke not only the peach orchard of Xiwangmu but also the story of the peach blossom spring, from a poem by Tao Yuanming (365–427) in which the ordinary but immortal populace of an ethereal village located in a grove of blossoming peach trees lives without being aware of the passage of time or the pressures of the world.\^/
Peach Cultivation
Apricots, peaches, plums and cherries belong to the same genus. They are fruits that come from trees that grow in temperate climates and usually bloom each in the spring. The trees are usually 6.5 to 13 meters (20 to 40 feet) high. The blossom usually appear before the leaves. The trees are often short lived and vulnerable to diseases.
The blossoms of apricots, peaches, plums and cherries are beautiful but vulnerable to late frosts and easily knocked off by high winds and rain. They grow best where late frosts do not come or in consistently cold that weather keeps the blooms from blooming until the dangers of frost are past.
The leading peach producers are China, Italy, Spain and France. The peaches in Europe are often grown in greenhouses and tend to be of good quality but expensive.
Peach Producing Countries
World’s Top Producers of Peaches and Nectarines (2020): 1) China: 15000000 tonnes; 2) Spain: 1306020 tonnes; 3) Italy: 1015350 tonnes; 4) Turkey: 892048 tonnes; 5) Greece: 890580 tonnes; 6) Iran: 663564 tonnes; 7) United States: 560423 tonnes; 8) Egypt: 337910 tonnes; 9) Chile: 307754 tonnes; 10) India: 265683 tonnes; 11) Argentina: 221717 tonnes; 12) Brazil: 201880 tonnes; 13) South Korea: 189058 tonnes; 14) Algeria: 186444 tonnes; 15) Uzbekistan: 184265 tonnes; 16) France: 178990 tonnes; 17) Mexico: 172950 tonnes; 18) South Africa: 172330 tonnes; 19) Morocco: 159531 tonnes; 20) Tunisia: 150000 tonnes [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
World’s Top Producers (in terms of value) of Peaches and Nectarines (2019): 1) China: Int.$9656783,000 ; 2) Spain: Int.$943122,000 ; 3) Italy: Int.$747451,000 ; 4) Greece: Int.$565418,000 ; 5) Turkey: Int.$506813,000 ; 6) United States: Int.$451483,000 ; 7) Iran: Int.$360876,000 ; 8) Egypt: Int.$218457,000 ; 9) Chile: Int.$201506,000 ; 10) Argentina: Int.$128141,000 ; 11) South Korea: Int.$125242,000 ; 12) France: Int.$123760,000 ; 13) Algeria: Int.$123110,000 ; 14) Uzbekistan: Int.$115188,000 ; 15) Brazil: Int.$111746,000 ; 16) Mexico: Int.$96985,000 ; 17) Morocco: Int.$96915,000 ; 18) South Africa: Int.$88051,000 ; 19) Tunisia: Int.$83329,000 [An international dollar (Int.$) buys a comparable amount of goods in the cited country that a U.S. dollar would buy in the United States.]
Peach Exporting Countries
World’s Top Exporters of Peaches and Nectarines (2020): 1) Spain: 656584 tonnes; 2) Turkey: 163267 tonnes; 3) Greece: 155467 tonnes; 4) Chile: 101587 tonnes; 5) Uzbekistan: 85649 tonnes; 6) China: 77584 tonnes; 7) Italy: 77136 tonnes; 8) United States: 61746 tonnes; 9) Jordan: 55347 tonnes; 10) France: 26472 tonnes; 11) Netherlands: 25470 tonnes; 12) Georgia: 25398 tonnes; 13) Hong Kong: 24885 tonnes; 14) Serbia: 24219 tonnes; 15) South Africa: 22778 tonnes; 16) Lebanon: 18952 tonnes; 17) Guinea: 18000 tonnes; 18) Lithuania: 15956 tonnes; 19) Germany: 14552 tonnes; 20) Kazakhstan: 13947 tonnes [Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.), fao.org]
World’s Top Exporters (in value terms) of Peaches and Nectarines (2020): 1) Spain: US$971972,000; 2) Turkey: US$152105,000; 3) Chile: US$136719,000; 4) China: US$135057,000; 5) Italy: US$123834,000; 6) United States: US$123450,000; 7) Greece: US$115709,000; 8) Uzbekistan: US$64868,000; 9) Jordan: US$55072,000; 10) France: US$50257,000; 11) Netherlands: US$48203,000; 12) Hong Kong: US$48096,000; 13) Australia: US$41674,000; 14) South Africa: US$37029,000; 15) Germany: US$25964,000; 16) Serbia: US$23542,000; 17) Georgia: US$21449,000; 18) Japan: US$17541,000; 19) Guinea: US$15000,000; 20) Egypt: US$13921,000
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization, Wikipedia., New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, Lonely Planet Guides, and various books and other publications.
Last updated July 2026