Price increases: expensive enjoyment – why strawberries cost so much

The walk to the strawberry stand has become significantly more expensive for customers. Strawberries from Germany cost around 70 percent more than ten years ago. If 3.94 euros were still due for a kilogram of domestic strawberries in 2015, it was 6.65 euros last year, as the Agrarmarkt Information Society announced. Also in 2025, prices will tend to be higher than in the previous year, said market analyst Eva Würtenberger.

Where do the significantly increased prices come from? And what does that mean for the future? Is the strawberry from Germany still affordable?

Up to 60 percent of production costs are wage costs

The Association of South German Asparagus and Strawberry Bauers (VSE) refers primarily to the minimum wage and wage increases in recent years. “When you see, we come from 8.50 euros and are now at 12.82 euros,” says association spokesman Simon Schumacher. “That is also an immense increase.”

Accordingly, the costs for strawberry production are 50 to 60 percent of personnel costs due to the harvest. The minimum wage was introduced in 2015. According to Schumacher, this would have given up companies or reduced their acreage.

Fewer strawberries from Germany

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of companies that grow strawberries has been sank by 24.1 percent to 1,702 since 2015. The acreage decreased by 28.4 percent to 13,149.5 hectares and harvesting by 30.3 percent to 120,352 tons.

Dominic Ell, strawberry maker from Oberkirch in Baden near Offenburg, wonders: “How long does the game of consumers take part and says: ‘Okay, I treat myself to the German strawberry, or just not?'” Ell produces 350 tons of strawberries a year alone. He believes in the future of German strawberry. “If we no longer earn money with the strawberry, then I wonder, with what?”

A share of foreign strawberries in German supermarkets increases

The degree of self -care with German strawberries has dropped significantly since 2015, from around 68 percent to 50 percent, as market analyst Würtenberger says. This means that half, the strawberries traded in Germany come from Germany – the other from abroad, especially from Spain and Greece.

In the increased production costs, Schumacher also refers to expenses for the purchase of film tunnels and for the irrigation. According to Tobias Gabler, the young plants that can be acquired every year have also increased significantly in the price, according to Tobias Gabler from the State Teaching and Experimental Institute for Weinsberg in Baden-Württemberg.

Climate change also makes strawberry farmers very difficult. “Climate change always brings these strong weather events,” says agricultural scientist Gabler. That means heavy rain and hail. “Of course, this heavy rain sometimes breaks strawberry fields or the harvest is simply no longer guaranteed.” The proportion of outdoor cultivation has decreased massively.

Entrepler rises to protected cultivation

The growing is therefore increasingly increasing to the protected cultivation with a film tunnel – sometimes also with a position, chest -high channels, from which it can be harvested more conveniently. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the acreage increased from 730.7 hectares to 2,045.5 hectares in 2024 in 2015 – almost a tripling.

The yield is also significantly higher there: Last year, an average of 20.4 tons of strawberries per hectare were harvested. There were only 9.3 tons in the field. The protected cultivation can also be harvested in October. The traditional season ends in July.

Experts assume further increasing prices

Obstanbauer Ell also gradually changes his production in large parts: “In fact, we have been investing bit by bit in folk tunnel since 2019.” However, the conversion of a hectare from Freiland to protected renovation costs up to 100,000 euros.

The experts assume that the strawberry prices will continue to rise. In addition to a possible increase in the minimum wage to 15 euros, market analysts Würtenberger assumes a further changeover to protected cultivation.

Harvest robots could help in the future

Harvest robots could be a way to reduce costs in the future. According to Würtenberger, however, these have so far been tested in the Netherlands, but have not yet been used in production. A challenge, for example, is to check the strawberry from all sides before picking.

However, agricultural scientists Gabler also sees a pain limit of consumers: “I say, five euros per 500 gram shell is a certain sound barrier.” One possibility is even smaller bowls on sale, as they already exist today.