German fruit growers face lowest apple harvest since 2017
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, this year's apple harvest is expected to be quite meager. According to a preliminary estimate by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) in July, only around 734,000 tons are expected to be gathered.
This means that approximately 261,300 tons (a decrease of 26.3 percent) fewer apples are expected to be harvested than the average of the past ten years. This year's harvest is expected to be the lowest since 2017 (596,700 tons). The low yield of the previous year is expected to be significantly undershot in 2024 - by an estimated 207,600 tons (a decrease of 22.1 percent).
The main reason for the low harvest expectation of fruit-growing operations is unfavorable weather conditions, which are expected to result in significant harvest losses of up to 90 percent compared to the ten-year average, particularly in the southeastern federal states.
In spring, late frosts and hailstorms in many fruit orchards caused frost damage and poor fruit set. Throughout the growing season, wet and cool weather and heavy regional rainfall had a negative impact on fruit development and promoted the occurrence of diseases.
Fruit and vegetable growers in the southeastern federal states are likely to experience significant harvest losses due to the unfavorable weather conditions. This year's low apple harvest is a concern not just for fruit and vegetable growers, but for the entire industry and consumers as well.
