The frosty nights in April, the storms from June onwards and the rainy summer placed heavy demands on fruit growers. The harvest estimate for dessert pip fruit shows that at least the apple crops weathered the bad weather well. The Swiss Fruit Association (SOV) expects a harvest of around 120,000 tons of dessert apples. Larger harvest losses are expected for table pears.
The Swiss population will continue to enjoy domestic dessert pip fruit in the coming months. According to the official harvest estimate, we can expect a good apple year. With 120 091 tons of dessert apples (-1 %), we are expecting an almost identical yield to last year. There are major differences between the varieties: we can expect an increase in yield for the most popular varieties Gala, Golden Delicious and Braeburn. For Boskoop, Idared, Milwa and Elstar as well as Gravensteiner, we expect a significantly lower harvest. These crops were more severely affected by frost and alternation. The estimate for table pears is less encouraging. We expect a yield of around 18,600 tons, which is only 79% of last year's crop.
Large regional differences
Eastern Switzerland remains the most important fruit region in the country, accounting for 40 percent of total table seed fruit production. It is followed by Valais with 30 percent and the Lake Geneva region with 15 percent. Valais in particular can expect an exceptionally good harvest, which should compensate the fruit canton at least somewhat for the disastrous apricot harvest. Hard hit by frost and hail were central Switzerland and Bern. They are likely to experience an extremely poor pome fruit year. Harvest estimates should generally be taken with a grain of salt. The survey was conducted before the recent storms and is based on the hanging crop. Marketable volume may be lower due to fruit with frost rings and scab infestation.
About the harvest estimation
The official method for estimating pome fruit harvest has been the Bavendorf method since 1986. The computerized estimation is based on three elements: Fruit bearing density, fruit weight and production potential of the crops. The fruit density is obtained by observation, the fruit weight by calculation from the diameter of the fruits. The production potential for table seed fruit is derived from fruit crop statistics. The determination of the fruit hanging density and the fruit diameter is carried out in July in selected sample farms by experts from the cantonal offices. Before publication, the results are submitted to various experts in the industry for review.
Expected 2021 volume of the most widely grown dessert apple varieties:
Gala, 34 596 tons (+4%).
Golden Delicious, 15 468 tons (+14 %)
Braeburn, 11 858 tons (-2 %)
Expected volume in 2021 of the most cultivated dessert pear varieties:
Kaiser Alexander, 7 439 tons (-10 %)
Conférence, 3 694 tons (-14 %)
Williams, 2 446 tons (-45 %)
Expected volume in 2021 in the largest growing regions for dessert apples:
Eastern Switzerland, 46 690 tons (-8 %)
Valais, 36 950 tons (+38 %)
Lake Geneva region, 23 422 tons (+21 %)
Expected volume in 2021 in the largest growing regions for dessert pears:
Eastern Switzerland, 10 057 tons (-3 %)
Valais, 6 016 tons (-36 %)
Lake Geneva area, 1 234 tons (+10 %).
For more information:
Schweizer Obstverband 
Baarerstrasse 88, 6300 Zug
Tel: +41 41 728 68 68
Web: www.swissfruit.ch
