According to Statistics Austria, 674,300 tons of open ground and horticultural vegetables were harvested in Austria this year. This means that the harvest volume - on an almost unchanged cultivation acreage - is about the same as the one from the previous year (+/-0% to 2021) and is noticeably above the five-year average (+9%).
Significantly more onions and cabbage harvested, record low for spinach harvest
In 2022, 365,200 tons of legumes, root and bulb vegetables were harvested (+2% compared to 2021). This is significantly higher than the five-year average (+14%). Onions represented more than a quarter of total vegetable production with a crop of 174,800 tons (+4% to 2021; +18% to the five-year average). Carrot production remained largely stable at 118,400 tons (+1% to 2021). Green pea production dropped to 9,600 tons (-2% to 2021) despite increased yields, due to a reduction in acreage.
Cabbage, leafy and stem vegetables recorded a slightly above-average harvest of 141,700 tons (-4% to 2021) (+3% to the five-year average). Lettuce production, which accounted for more than a third of this product group, amounted to 48,700 tons (-5% compared to 2021; +4% compared to the five-year average). Cabbage reached a crop volume of 45,800 tons (+11% to 2021) on expanded acreage. Spinach production, on the other hand, fell to a record low of 8,500 tons (-28% vs. 2021; -33% vs. the five-year average).
More open ground vegetables, fewer greenhouse vegetables
The loose vegetable crop totaled 167,400 tons (-1% over 2021), up 3% from the five-year average. While the acreage of open ground vegetables such as sweet corn, squash and zucchini expanded in 2022, the acreage of energy-intensive greenhouse crops decreased due to shortening of the production period, reduction in cultivation rates and farm closures. As far as tomatoes went, production was 5% lower than in 2021 at 57,000 tons, while cucumber harvests also declined significantly (-8%) to 44,100 tons. Pepper production decreased to 12,600 tons (-16% compared to 2021).
The sweet corn acreage, on the other hand, reached a record level, as did the yield per hectare, resulting in an exceptionally high production volume of 19,200 metric tons (+27% compared to 2021). Pumpkin also reached a new peak of 22,300 tons (+8% on 2021). Melons also continued to grow, increasing by 9% year on year to 2,200 metric tons.
For more information:
https://www.statistik.at