Statisticians expect the worst strawberry harvest since 1995.
Heavy rainfalls and a decrease in cultivated area result in a particularly weak strawberry season this year. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the harvest is expected to be even smaller than in the weak previous year. The same trend can be observed for asparagus.
The strawberry harvest in this year is expected to be as bad as it has been for a long time, according to initial estimates. According to the Federal Statistical Office, farmers are forecasting a harvest of around 70,000 tonnes from open fields. This would be the poorest harvest since 1995, 24% less than the already weak previous year, and 34% less than the average of the years 2018 to 2023.
The reasons for this, according to statisticians, are on the one hand a significant decrease in cultivated area by 13% to around 8,100 hectares. "In some regions, there were harvest losses due to heavy and persistent rainfalls," they explained. The main strawberry producing countries are Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.
The same trends can be observed for asparagus, although to a lesser extent: The harvest is expected to be around 105,200 tonnes, which is 6% lower than the previous year and 13% lower than the average of the five previous years. The cultivated area decreased by 4% to 19,600 hectares.
"Limiting factors for the early harvest were in many cases heavy rainfalls and late frosts," the statisticians explained. The main asparagus producing countries are Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Both for strawberries and asparagus, rising production costs and inflation are becoming noticeable. They are driving up prices, which, combined with inflation in other areas, is leading to a decrease in demand for the relatively expensive vegetables and fruit. Farmers are reacting by reducing cultivated areas.
The Federal Statistical Office cites agriculture in Germany as a sector significantly affected by unfavorable weather conditions, with strawberry harvest expected to reach only 70,000 tonnes from open fields, a 24% decrease from the already weak previous year. The decline in asparagus production follows a similar pattern, with an anticipated harvest of 105,200 tonnes, a 13% decrease from the five-year average.
