German fruit growers have reported a strong cherry harvest for the summer of 2025. According to final estimates released Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), a total of 47,100 tonnes of cherries were harvested. This breakdown includes 79% (37,300 tonnes) of sweet cherries and 21% (9,800 tonnes) of sour cherries.
The overall yield represents a 4.2% increase compared to the ten-year average from 2015 to 2024, which stood at 45,200 tonnes. The harvest also demonstrates a significant rebound from the previous year’s considerably below-average yield of 35,400 tonnes, with an additional 11,700 tonnes (or a 33.1% increase) produced.
The final estimated yield for sweet cherries reached 37,300 tonnes, a 33.6% increase over the significantly lower yield of the previous year, which was impacted by unfavorable weather conditions. Compared to the ten-year average of 32,900 tonnes, fruit growers registered a gain of 4,400 tonnes, representing a 13.3% increase. The successful sweet cherry harvest was facilitated by mild weather conditions during the flowering period and a lack of damaging frost or hail across most growing regions.
Sweet cherries are cultivated across 5,700 hectares in Germany. Baden-Württemberg is the leading state in terms of production, accounting for 2,600 hectares. The state produces 17,600 tonnes of sweet cherries, representing 47% of the country’s total. Lower Saxony follows as the second-largest producer, with 5,000 tonnes harvested from 480 hectares. Despite having larger sweet cherry cultivation areas, Rhineland-Palatinate (660 hectares) and Bavaria (540 hectares) yielded lower harvests of 3,700 and 1,800 tonnes respectively.
While Baden-Württemberg saw a slight decrease in its sweet cherry harvest compared to the previous year (a reduction of 250 tonnes or 1%), Lower Saxony experienced a dramatic increase (+67%), mirrored by significant gains in Rhineland-Palatinate (+76%) and Bavaria (+30%). These regional variations are attributed to the exceptionally strong sweet cherry harvest in Baden-Württemberg in 2024, contrasting with weather-related yield losses in other regions that year.
The final estimated yield for sour cherries totaled 9,800 tonnes. This represents a 31.3% increase surpassing the notably weak harvest of 7,500 tonnes in 2024. Although an initial provisional estimate in June suggested a yield of 11,700 tonnes, nearing the ten-year average of 12,300 tonnes, the final harvest ultimately fell 20% short of that mark. In addition to weather influences, the lower yield is also linked to a decrease in the cultivated area for sour cherries, shrinking from 2,000 hectares to 1,500 hectares (-25%).
Rhineland-Palatinate leads in sour cherry cultivation, covering 460 hectares, followed by Saxony (300 hectares) and Baden-Württemberg (240 hectares). The largest harvest was recorded in Rhineland-Palatinate, with 2,700 tonnes (+40% compared to the previous year), followed by Thuringia (1,900 tonnes; +179%) and Saxony (1,800 tonnes; +1,249%). These changes highlight the exceptionally weather-dependent and challenging harvest conditions in 2024, particularly affecting some eastern German states where regional harvests were almost completely lost.