According to Prognosfruit, with 885,000 tonnes, the appleharvest in Germany will be around 21 percent less than last year’s recordharvest of 1,116,000 tonnes.
Despite good blooming conditions this spring and a normal beginningof vegetation, with this the expected value is around 8% under the average ofthe last three years, from 2012 up until 2014. As a reason for the expectedlesser harvest, the Bundesausschuss für Obst und Gemüse (BOG) mentionsfluctuations in the fruit yield of some types in the two-year rhythm on fruittrees (alternation). BOG states that one should bank on price increases.
By regions in Germany, one can expect around 245,000 tonnesat the Lower Elbe (minus 34 percent compared to last year), 210,000 tonnes atLake Constance (25 percent lower than last year), as well as 104,000 tonnes inSaxony and Saxony-Anhalt, and 53,000 tonnes in the Rhineland.
This year’s apple harvest in the European Union is estimatedat 11,974,000 tonnes for the 28 member states, and will be 5 percent less thanlast year’s record harvest of 12,588,000 tonnes. This makes the European appleharvest of 2015 the second largest harvest of the last 10 years.
The largest apple producing countries of the European Union ofthis year are Poland with 3,750,000 tonnes (unchanged compared to last year),followed by Italy with 2,328,000 tonnes (minus 5%), France with 1,594,000tonnes (plus 10% compared to last year) and Germany with 885,000 tonnes (minus21% compared to last year). 618,000 tonnes are expected from Hungary (minus 33%compared to last year) and 486,000 tonnes in Spain (plus 9% compared to lastyear), Romania with 351,000 tonnes (minus 8% compared to last year), theNetherlands with 330,000 (minus 7% compared to last year), as well as Portugalwith 291,000 tonnes (plus 7% compared to last year), Belgium with 258,000 tonnes (minus 21% compared to lastyear), and Greece with 238,000 (3% compared to last year).
Followed by the United Kingdom with 211,000 tonnes (minus 6%compared to last year), Austria with 179,000 tonnes (minus 5% compared to lastyear). 151,000 tonnes are expected in the Czech Republic, 101,000 tonnes inCroatia, 72,000 tonnes in Slovenia, 41,000 tonnes in Slovakia, 37,000 tonnes inLithuania, 24,000 tonnes in Denmark, 21,000 tonnes in Sweden as well as 9,000tonnes in Latvia.
By type, the largest harvest this year is once againexpected to be Golden Delicious with 2,546,000tonnes. Followed by Gala with 1,331,000 tonnes, Idared with 1,111,000 tonnes,Red Delicious with 644,000 tonnes, Jonagold with 575,000 tonnes, Shampion with494,000 tonnes and Jonagored with 430,000 tonnes, Elstar with 373,000 tonnes,Fuji with 333,000 tonnes and Braeburn 295,000 tonnes.
The pear harvest in Germany will be at 46,000 tonnes, whichis 2 percent higher than last year’s 45,000 tonnes. The pear harvest quantity inthe European Union will fall short of last year’s yield of 2,445,000 tonnes by 4%, with 2,343,000 tonnes.
This year, the traditional congress of the European apple-and pear industry for estimating the European stonefruit harvest of apples andpears took place on August 7, 2015 in Meran in Southern Tyrol. Over 300 stonefruit experts from the European Union as well as the USA had come to Meran.
Source: www.g-net.de