The area of apple trees in the Netherlands fell by 54.2% between 1997 and 2017. A completely different trend applies to pears, the area of which has increased by 61.5% over the same period according to figures from Statistics Netherlands, mainly thanks to the Conference.
Area of pears bigger than apples
In absolute figures, the area of apples has fallen from 15,190ha in 1997 to 6,950ha in 2017. The hectares of pear trees have risen from 6,030 ha in 1997 to 9,740 ha in 2017. The apples and pears changed positions in 2012 when the area of pears was larger than the area of apple orchards in the Netherlands. The area of apples fell less rapidly in the period between 2012 and 2017 than between 2007 and 2012. The area of pears, on the other hand, rose faster between 2012 and 2017 than between 2007 and 2012.
Golden Delicious falls, Conference doubles
In the apples, all varieties also show a decrease in plantation. The area of Elstar decreased by 40% between 1997 and 2017 while the area of Golden Delicious decreased by 76.5% in the same period.
Among pears, it was mainly the Conference that grew strongly in area between 1997 and 2017. This is an increase of 110.4%. The other pear varieties, however, decreased in number, such as for the Doyenné du Comice, which fell by 39.4%. The stewed pears also halved in area, but this is a decrease from 550 hectares in 1997 to 270 in 2017.
Age and plant density of apples
Statistics Netherlands also looked at the age of the apple and pear trees and the planting density per hectare. In 1997 the majority of apple orchards still consisted of trees between 5 and 10 years (43.8%). In 2017 the number of apple trees from 15 to 25 years was in the majority (30.8%). The age category of the apple trees is not stable. For planting density, the category between 2400 and 3200 trees per hectare remains the most popular, although the percentage in this category rises from 53.8% in 1997 to 63% in 2017.
Age and planting density pears
The age category for pears remains more stable. In 1997 most pear trees were younger than 10 years (42.5%) but also with relatively many older trees (29.2%), in 2017 the largest age category was trees between 15 and 25 years (31.3%) and the share of trees younger than 5 years was 23.1%. In planting density, a shift can be seen in pears from the category 800-1600 trees per hectare to 2400-3200 trees per hectare. This change occurred in 2007. In 2017, the planting density of 2400-3200 trees per hectare was 46.8%. In 1997 that was 16.9%.
Source: CBS