In 2024, Germany’s strawberry tree harvest decreased by 10.6% to around 37,000 tons, despite a 1% increase in the cultivation area to 9,200 hectares. The decline in yield was attributed to frost during the blooming period, followed by drought in the spring and excessive rainfall during the harvest period. Compared to the average of the past six years, the overall strawberry tree harvest in 2024 decreased by 10.5%. The lowest harvest in recent years was recorded in 2020, at 35,800 tons.
Cultivated bilberries remained the most significant strawberry tree variety in Germany, with an area of 3,500 hectares, a 0.9% increase from the previous year and accounting for 38% of the strawberry tree area and 41% of the harvest. The bilberry harvest decreased by 1.5% to 15,100 tons.
The top strawberry tree varieties by harvest volume, after bilberries, were raspberries with 7,000 tons (4.4% increase), red and white currants with 6,800 tons (20.5% decrease) and black currants with 2,800 tons (30.1% decrease).
While the area for growing raspberries in the open field decreased by 12.8% to 380 hectares, the cultivation in greenhouses and other high-coverage protection structures increased by 4.2% to 450 hectares. Raspberries accounted for 79.4% of the protected areas, resulting in better yields due to their reduced susceptibility to weather conditions.
In total, around 6,600 tons (17.9%) of the strawberry tree harvest came from greenhouses and other high-coverage protection structures, a 7.1% increase from the previous year, with the protected area expanding by 2.1% to 570 hectares.
Organic farming accounted for around 11.2% or 4,200 tons of the German strawberry tree harvest in 2024, with the organic area covering 32.4% of the total strawberry tree cultivation area. The organic harvest volume decreased by 14.8% (-720 tons) despite a 3.1% increase in the organic area to 2,980 hectares. The most significant organic strawberry tree variety was the aronia berry, followed by the bilberry and sandthorn.