Apples continue to be by far the most abundant fruit harvested in Germany. However, fruit-growing businesses recorded a much lower-than-average apple harvest in 2024, at 872,000 tonnes. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), in 2024 about 122,900 tonnes or 12.4 per cent fewer apples were harvested than the average of the past ten years. After 2017, when 596,700 tonnes were harvested, this was the second-lowest harvest volume since 2014. The 2023 harvest was also low, and the 2024 harvest was 69,200 tonnes or 7.4 per cent below that level. The main reason for the poor apple harvest was unfavourable weather conditions, which caused significant crop failures of up to 90 per cent compared to the ten-year average, especially in the eastern federal states.
Late frosts and hail were followed by cool, damp weather and heavy rainfall
In spring, late frosts and hailstorms caused frost damage and poor fruit set in many orchards. As the growing season progressed, cool, damp weather and heavy rainfall in some regions had a negative impact on fruit development and favoured the occurrence of diseases. According to the final figures, however, the effects were less than predicted in the preliminary harvest estimates. When the first harvest estimate was made in July 2024, it was expected that the apple harvest in 2024 would be as low as 26.3 per cent or 261,300 tonnes below the ten-year average.
Largest apple-growing state Baden-Württemberg achieves above-average harvest
There were some major regional differences. While the quantity of apples harvested in almost all federal states was well below the level of previous years, fruit-growing businesses in Baden-Württemberg, the most important federal state for domestic apple growing, achieved a comparatively good apple harvest. At 395,400 tonnes, this was around 19.4 per cent above the ten-year average and thus accounted for around 45.3 per cent of the apples harvested nationwide. With 258,200 tonnes, fruit-growing businesses in Lower Saxony came in second among the most important growing regions, harvesting 29.6 per cent of German apples. In Lower Saxony, this year's apple harvest was 10.3 per cent below the ten-year average. The greatest percentage drops in harvest compared to the ten-year average were recorded by the growing businesses in Saxony (-92.6 per cent) and Brandenburg (-82.2 per cent).
Most apples are sold as table fruit
About three quarters (73.2 per cent or 638,900 tonnes) of the apples harvested in 2024 were intended for sale as table fruit. Around a quarter of the harvest (25.8 per cent or 225,200 tonnes) was used as processing fruit, for example for the production of fruit juice, canned food or cider. The remainder (0.9 per cent or 7,900 tonnes) could not be marketed due to storage or processing losses.
Plum harvest also varies widely from region to region
The 2024 plum harvest totalled 43,800 tonnes, on a par with the previous year. This was 2.7 per cent below the average harvest of 45,000 tonnes over the past ten years. However, the plum harvest varied greatly from region to region. In almost all federal states, the harvest volumes were well below the levels of previous years. Late frosts and the rainy spring caused considerable damage in many orchards, and in some cases total crop failure. Only in Baden-Württemberg, the most important federal state for plum cultivation with 1,700 hectares, was the harvest 25,600 tonnes higher than the ten-year average (+52.9 per cent). The fruit-growing businesses in Rhineland-Palatinate, the federal state with the second-largest plum cultivation (900 hectares), harvested 7,500 tonnes, which is 31.6 per cent less than the average of the past ten years. Due to the above-average harvest in Baden-Württemberg, fruit-growing businesses in these two federal states produced 75.6 per cent of all German plums in 2024 on 63.2 per cent of the acreage.
In 2024, plums and prunes were grown on 4,100 hectares of land for market fruit cultivation nationwide. At 85.5 percent (37,400 tonnes), the largest share was marketed as table fruit. Only 4,800 tonnes (10.9 percent) were used as processing or industrial fruit. The 'unmarketed' category included 1,600 tonnes, or 3.6 per cent, of the fruit.
Apples account for almost 90 per cent of Germany's fruit harvest
Of the total recorded harvest of 995,600 tonnes of fruit in 2024, apples accounted for around 87.6 per cent. Plums and prunes accounted for 4.4 per cent. In addition, 39,000 tonnes of pears (3.9 per cent), 27,900 tonnes of sweet cherries (2.8 per cent), 7,500 tonnes of sour cherries (0.8 per cent) and 5,500 tonnes of mirabelles and greengages (0.6 per cent) were harvested in Germany.
Source: Destatis
