"Lower yield, higher costs, producer prices at last year's level"
Germany: Balance of fruit, vegetable and potato harvest
I. Fruit harvest
For 2015, the DBV is expecting a 21 percent smaller apple harvest (885,000 tonnes) than last year, which lies 8% under the average of the last three years. Reasons being, the record year 2014 and the so-called alternation in fruit trees, that is, the yield fluctuation in the two-year rhythm. Especially the types Elstar, Jonagold, Jonagored and Boskoop will be affected by this.
Due to the lesser harvest, market experts are expecting attractive consumer prices in the new apple season from September 2015 onward. Comparing regions, at the Lower Elbe, 245,000) tonnes (minus 34 percent compared to last year), 210,000 tons at Lake Constance, (25 percent less than last year), as well as 104,000 tonnes in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt (minus 7 percent compared to last year), and 53,000 tonnes in the Rhineland (plus 9 percent compared to last year) are expected.
Well over half of the European apple harvest comes from Poland, Italy and France. This year’s apple harvest of the 28 member states of the European union is estimated to be at 11.97 million tonnes. With this the harvest turns out to be 5% lower than last year, with its 12.57 million tonnes.
The pear harvest in Germany will turn out 2% higher than last year. In the EU on the other hand they expect 4 percent less (2.34 million tonnes).
An average harvest is expected for sweet cherries, with around 33,000 tonnes, although it is lower than 2014’s harvest quantity (39,600 tonnes). With 15,500 tonnes, the sour cherry harvest of 2015 is at the level of 2012 and 2013, but under the harvest of 2014, which was at 17,400 tonnes. The price level is somewhat higher than last year.
With plums, a lesser harvest than last year is expected (around 48,000 tonnes in 2015 compared to 56,000 tonnes in 2014). Prices are only at last year’s level.
With strawberries the harvest costs were clearly higher than last year as well. Compared to last year a harvest of around 10 percent less is expected (around 155,000 tonnes after 168,000 tonnes last year). These prices are at last year’s level as well.
The yields of the berry harvest will fall short of last year's yields. (Estimate: Harvest of redcurrants in 2015 around 5,000 tonnes, blackcurrants 9,900 tonnes, raspberries 5,000 tonnes, blueberries 10,000 tonnes.
II. Vegetables
In 2015, in many regions the watering costs will be substantially higher, because the important vegetable growing areas are in the middle of Germany, where it was too dry in spring and the beginning of summer. With all products, the prices are not turning out satisfactory. Together with the minimum wage and the resulting increase in production costs, like last year companies are banking on a minus in prices in vegetable cultivation.
The asparagus harvest turned out 5 percent smaller (108,000 tonnes) than last year. Thereby the asparagus fields were expanded with around 5 percent (to 21,000 hectares). Prices remained at approximately the level of last year. In light of the lower harvest quantity and clearly increased labour costs, the economic results of the asparagus growers will clearly diminish in 2015.
With irrigation, lettuces have good growing conditions under the current temperatures. However, the price level of the overall lettuce assortment is very low, from head lettuce to coloured salads to iceberg lettuce.
The onion cultivation areas have been slightly expanded compared to 2014, to 10,500 hectares. With low yields, they are counting on a harvest of 470,00 tonnes, after 500,000 tonnes in 2014.
The carrot harvest would be slightly below average with 560,000 tonnes, and falls slightly below 2012 and 2013, and clearly below last year’s yield (609,000 tonnes).
In greenhouse cultivation, the prices for cucumbers and tomatoes were average in the early season, and not satisfactory in the main cucumber season. By the time of the culture change at the end of June, prices recovered and were above average in the four weeks that followed. With tomatoes on the other hand, there was a price pressure already very early on, and certain quantities could not be placed on the market.
III. Potatoes
The cultivation areas for potatoes have shrunk by 4 percent in 2015, and are currently at 234,100 hectares (2014: 244,800 hectares). A clear reduction in surface area can be registered in Baden-Wurttemberg (minus 17.5 percent) and North Rhine-Westphalia (minus 16.5 percent). Despite frequent rains, due to drought and heat, a smaller harvest quantity is expected than last year (2014: 11.6 million tonnes). The potato price for table potatoes was at 23 Euro/ deciton for waxy potatoes (August 11, 2015). With this, prices were clearly over those of last year, which were at an extremely low level. Due to the weather, the harvest prospects were clearly behind the very high yield of last year.
Source: DBV