Apple harvest considerably lower than last year
Statistics Austria published the new estimates for the current Austrian fruit harvest. According to Statistics Austria massive losses can be expected in the harvest of stone and top fruit, mainly due to the late frost in spring. During the last weeks severe storms, with hail, caused additional damage to the fruit.
Major losses in cherry orchards
Although the loss of cherries and sour cherries in commercial orchards in Lower Austria might be less than first expected, it still will be about a third lower than the yield of the previous year. A harvest of just 520 metric tons is expected; in Burgenland 80 metric tons (-43% compared to 2015), while in Upper Austria a yield of just 20 metric tons reflects crop losses as high as 90%. Statistics Austria doesn’t have any current estimates of Styria, where the frost damage was particularly high.
Lower Austria is the state with the highest share of strawberry production and a normal harvest of 5,200 metric tons of strawberries is expected; this is a decline of 19% compared to the previous year, but 1% higher than the five-year average. In Upper Austria, the second largest producer, the harvest is estimated at 2,700 metric tons (-11% compared to 2015). The total Austrian harvest of orchard fruit is estimated at 9,600 metric tons.
A currant harvest of only 95 metric tons (-39% compared to 2015) is expected in Lower Austria. However for raspberries an above-average yield per hectare is expected (+15%). The estimated harvest of 370 metric tons is 57% higher than the yield of the previous year, which was very low. In Upper Austria a similarly good harvest of 220 metric tons is expected (88% higher than the five-year average).
For the first time the estimates for Aronia (chokeberry) were reported by Statistics Austria. The estimated volume for the Aronia harvest in Lower Austria is approximately 500 metric tons and in Upper Austria 150 metric tons.
Top fruit: Massive losses in Styria - A plus in Upper Austria
The first estimates for top fruit (more than 90% apples, the rest pears) is about 11,100 metric tons (-37% compared to 2015) in Lower Austria and 10,400 metric tons (+15%) in Upper Austria. In Burgenland 5,100 metric tons (-40%) will be harvested. In Styria frost damage led to massive losses, and sometimes even to a complete loss of the harvest. The experts expect a harvest of 22,000 metric tons, a dramatic loss of apples compared to the 177,000 metric tons of the previous year (-88%).
Meadow orchards: Less stone and top fruit
The Austrian meadow orchards produce 41% less cherries and 44% less sour cherries compared to 2015. The expected harvest of currents and gooseberries will be more than a third to be lower compared to the previous year (-35% and -37%). Due to the bad spring weather even the harvest of late apples is expected to drop with 36%, the harvest of pears with 31% and cider pears with 38%.