Apple remains the most widely harvested fruit in Germany, albeit with a significantly below-average harvest in 2024, at 872,000 tons.
According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), about 122,900 tons or 12.4% fewer apples were harvested in 2024 compared to the average of the past ten years. This was the second-lowest harvest in the past decade, after the year 2017 with 596,700 tons. The 2023 harvest, which was also below average, was 69,200 tons or 7.4% lower.
The main reason for the low apple harvest was unfavorable weather conditions, which caused significant crop failures of up to 90% in the eastern German states compared to the ten-year average.
In the early spring, late frosts and hail in many apple orchards led to frost damage and a poor fruit set. The further vegetation period was negatively affected by a cool and wet weather and regional strong rainfall, which favored the appearance of diseases.
The final figures, however, were less severe than initially forecast in the preliminary harvest estimates. In the first harvest estimate in July 2024, a 26.3% or 261,300-ton decrease in the apple harvest compared to the ten-year average was still expected.
There were significant regional differences, with nearly all federal states having a significantly lower harvest than in previous years. While the apple harvest in Baden-Württemberg, the most significant apple-producing state, was relatively good, with 395,400 tons, or 19.4% above the ten-year average, making up about 45.3% of the nationwide apple harvest. The apple harvest in Lower Saxony, the second-largest apple-producing region, was 258,200 tons, or 29.6% of the national apple harvest, and was 10.3% lower than the ten-year average. The most significant declines in the apple harvest compared to the ten-year average were seen in Saxony (-92.6%) and Brandenburg (-82.2%).
About three-quarters (73.2%, or 638,900 tons) of the apples harvested in 2024 were intended for the market as table apples. About a quarter (25.8%, or 225,200 tons) was used for processing or industrial purposes, such as the production of fruit juice, jam, or apple wine. The rest (0.9%, or 7,900 tons) could not be marketed due to storage or processing losses.
The quantity of plums and damsons harvested in 2024 was 43,800 tons, in line with the previous year. The average harvest of the past ten years (45,000 tons) was undershot by 2.7%. The plum harvest, however, varied greatly by region. In nearly all federal states, the harvest was significantly lower than in previous years. Only in Baden-Württemberg, the most significant plum-producing state, were 25,600 tons more plums harvested than in the ten-year average (+52.9%). The plum harvest in Rhineland-Palatinate, the second-largest plum-producing state, was 7,500 tons, or 31.6% lower than the ten-year average.
Across the country, the apple and plum harvests together accounted for about 92% of the total fruit harvest. The remaining 8% consisted of pears, quinces, and other fruits, including 39,000 tons of pears, 27,900 tons of sweet cherries, 7,500 tons of sour cherries, 5,500 tons of mirabelles and renetels, and 995,600 tons of fruit in total.