According to the Thuringian State Office for Statistics, 18 Thuringian farms produced a total of 317 tons of berries on an area of 71 hectares last year. Of these, 7 farms cultivated around 23 hectares according to the criteria of organic farming.
Compared to 2020, the area under cultivation decreased by more than one third (-40 hectares or -36 percent). The total harvest in 2021 increased significantly by 133 tons or 73 percent compared to the previous year, due to more favorable weather conditions.
For black elderberry, the harvest volume of elderberries (excluding elderflowers) in 2021 was about 271 tons. Compared to the previous year, 105 tons or 63 percent more elderberries were harvested. In contrast, the area under black elderberry decreased by 27 hectares to 48 hectares.
Chokeberries on the rise
There was an increase in the area under chokeberry cultivation. In 2021, a total of 9 hectares of chokeberry bushes were cultivated in Thuringia. Harvested from these bushes were 9 tons of berries. The area under blackcurrants was again in sharp decline in 2021 (-16 hectares or -73 percent) and was only a quarter of the value in 2020. A total of 6 hectares of blackcurrants were still in production in Thuringia.
In total, black elderberries and chokeberries took up four-fifths (81 percent) of the total shrub berry area. The remaining bush berries - such as black, red and white currants, raspberries or gooseberries - were distributed over the remaining 14 hectares of cultivated area.
Source: TLS