The German's favourite fruit is still the apple. This is visible in the consumption of 17.7kg per head of the population per year. After this year's apple harvest apple lovers have the choice of a wide assortment, reports the German 'Landvolk-Pressedienst'. In the Alte Land, the largest connected fruit growing area in Europe, the harvest amount is at 285,000 tonnes, and with this it is only slightly lower than the very good harvest of 2011.
If you look at the rest of Europe, the situation is different: the total European apple harvest remained under 10 million tonnes. The fruit growers from the Alte Land profit from this, as the tight supply ensures them of good growers prices. But the consumers won't have to empty their purses for their favourite fruit despite this, as the food trade doesn't always put the increase of the purchase price through to the customers.
A large amount of the apple harvest is stored each year, to supply the consumer's demand outside of the apple season. Almost 200,000 tonnes of the apple harvest from the Alte Land is first placed in special storage warehouses. The fruit is kept fresh for longer with a very low oxygen level. This way consumers can count on tasty apples from the Alte Land until July.