For the majority of Austrian producers, an average strawberry season came to an end in early July. The dry winter and the cool month of March had delayed the flowering of this crop a little. However, the fourth warmest April and the second warmest May since 1767 triggered a considerable increase in vegetation, which more than made up for the deficit. Due to the unusually rapid ripening of the fruit, in the end the optimal harvest start was 10 to 14 days early.
In Burgenland, picking strawberries in tunnels already began in the first week of May. Picking in the open fields followed a week later. Just in time for the Whitsun weekend, all available harvest workers were also in action in western Austria.
The market was friendly, also due to the summer temperatures, and Austrian products met with a consistently positive response from the consumer. Thus, domestic batches could be well accommodated and there was enough variety on offer regarding taste, shape and colour, due to the intense sunlight.
Cost price diverged according to the marketing. While you picked strawberries farm on average went for 6.25 EUR/kg, people who picked their own fruit could see prices of around 3.00 EUR/kg. Due to high availability and corresponding market pressure, the product dipped within a very short time and stagnated at EUR 4.00/kg; 11% below the three-year average.
The market was friendly, also due to the summer temperatures, and Austrian products met with a consistently positive response from the consumer. Thus, domestic batches could be well accommodated and there was enough variety on offer regarding taste, shape and colour, due to the intense sunlight.
Cost price diverged according to the marketing. While you picked strawberries farm on average went for 6.25 EUR/kg, people who picked their own fruit could see prices of around 3.00 EUR/kg. Due to high availability and corresponding market pressure, the product dipped within a very short time and stagnated at EUR 4.00/kg; 11% below the three-year average.
The influence of cheaper imported goods is a major driver of domestic producer prices, especially for marketing through trade. Extreme weather events caused by climate change also create additional uncertainty and thus promote high price volatility.
As intense as the harvesting season began, it was so short. Already after four weeks could be started on most fields with the care measures.
Statistics Austria's provisional harvest result of 2018 (as of 03.08.2018) shows a 5.9% or 689 tonnes decline in production, despite a 6% increase in the nationwide acreage. The fruit sizes and thus their weights fell this year, caused by heat-related drought, many times lower.
The average yield per hectare of 90 dt / ha was 12% below the level of the previous year and 25% below the ten-year average of 113 dt / ha.
The distribution of strawberry areas in the individual federal states shows no major shifts compared to the previous year. While Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Carinthia remain unchanged, both Styria (27 ha) and Burgenland (25 ha) have expanded their production areas. A smaller increase is recorded in Tyrol with 14 ha.
Overall, the strawberry production area increased by 6.4% in 2018 and now stands at 1,213 ha, after a small turnaround.
Source: AMA, Statistik Austria