Worst apple harvest in seven years expected - prices likely to rise
Approximately 734,000 tons of apples are expected to be harvested this year, according to a first estimate by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Thursday. This is expected to be around 26 percent less than the average of the past ten years and the lowest harvest since 2017.
The apple harvest was already poor last year and is expected to be around 22 percent lower this year. Particularly in the southern federal states, there are significant harvest losses of up to 90 percent compared to the ten-year average, the statistics office further reported. For example, in Saxony - the third largest apple growing region in Germany - an extremely low harvest is expected.
Therefore, around three quarters of all apples this year are expected to come from Baden-Württemberg (Bodensee region) and Lower Saxony (Old Land). A total of 33,000 hectares of fruit will be harvested in Germany this year - despite the harvest losses, it is the most harvested tree fruit here.
There is no expectation of replacement from neighboring countries: "The European harvest is also lower," said Klaus Heitlinger, managing director of the Association of the German Fruit Juice Industry, to the news agency AFP. The shortfall is 15 percent. In Europe, Poland is by far the largest apple producing country with 31 percent, followed by Italy with 21 percent and France with 14 percent in 2024. Germany ranks fourth with eight percent.
The consequence of the poor harvests is: "The price of apples will rise and apple juice will also become more expensive," said Heitlinger. Apple juice is the second most popular fruit drink among Germans after orange juice.
The managing director of the Federal Association of the Fruit, Vegetable, and Potato Processing Industry, Christoph Freitag, also expects price increases for apple sauce and apple compote due to the poor harvest - but the decision lies with the individual companies, he emphasized. These had all confirmed the problems at a conference on harvest estimates last week: there is not enough raw material. Almost the entire apple harvest has also failed in the Czech Republic.
The weather is to blame: Late frosts and hail in many orchards in spring caused frost damage and poor fruit set, as the statistics office explained. Throughout the growing season, damp and cool weather and strong regional rainfall had a negative impact on fruit development and promoted the occurrence of diseases.
Therefore, the plum and greengage harvest this year is also expected to be below average - with an estimated 37,100 tons, it is expected to be almost 18 percent below the average of the past ten years. Last year, relatively few plums and greengages were also harvested.
An exception is Baden-Württemberg, where a harvest "significantly" above the ten-year average is expected. Because the other growing areas are having problems, three quarters of all plums and greengages are expected to be harvested in this federal state this year.
Despite the poor apple harvest in Germany, particularly in southern federal states, Baden-Württemberg is expected to have a significantly higher apple yield than the ten-year average, making it the primary source of apples this year.
Germany, as a fruit-producing country, typically relies on a diverse range of regions for its fruit, but the poor harvest this year has highlighted Baden-Württemberg as a significant contributor, particularly for apples and plums.
