Apples dominate Germany’s 2024 fruit harvest despite below-average yield

Apples remained the dominant fruit crop in Germany in 2024, but the harvest was significantly below average, totaling 872,000 tonnes, according to local media. This represented a 12.4% decline (122,900 tonnes) compared to the ten-year average and marked the second-lowest yield since 2014, following the poor harvest of 2017. The 2024 harvest was also 7.4% lower than the 2023 yield. Adverse weather, including late frosts, hail, and heavy rainfall, caused up to 90% crop losses in some eastern regions.

Baden-Württemberg, Germany's leading apple-growing state, reported an above-average harvest of 395,400 tonnes (+19.4% over the ten-year average), accounting for 45.3% of the national apple harvest. Lower Saxony followed with 258,200 tonnes, though this was 10.3% below its ten-year average. Conversely, Saxony and Brandenburg experienced the steepest declines, with yields dropping by 92.6% and 82.2%, respectively.

In 2024, 73.2% (638,900 tonnes) of apples were sold as table fruit, 25.8% (225,200 tonnes) were processed into products like juice and cider, and 0.9% (7,900 tonnes) were unmarketable due to losses. Apples accounted for 87.6% of Germany's total fruit harvest, which totaled 995,600 tonnes. Plums and prunes made up 4.4%, pears 3.9%, and smaller shares included sweet cherries, sour cherries, mirabelles, and greengages.

The plum harvest in 2024 totaled 43,800 tonnes, 2.7% below the ten-year average of 45,000 tonnes. Baden-Württemberg saw a 52.9% increase above the average with 25,600 tonnes, while Rhineland-Palatinate recorded a 31.6% decrease. Overall, 85.5% of plums were sold as table fruit, while 10.9% were processed, and 3.6% were unmarketable.

source: destatis.de

photo: esmmagazine.com, nutcrackernursery.com