The Federal Statistical Office currently counts 6,500 fruit trees across Germany – 9.2 percent less than in 2017. The total area under cultivation has also decreased.
There are fewer and fewer fruit growers in Germany. According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of fruit trees has fallen by 9.2 percent to 6,500 since the last survey in 2017.
According to the Wiesbaden statisticians, the total area under cultivation decreased somewhat to 49,200 (2017: 49,900) hectares. For the individual farms, however, this means more area on average: this year they farm an average of 7.6 hectares, which is 0.6 hectares more than five years ago.
According to the information, an increasing proportion of the areas are managed according to ecological guidelines: In 2017 it was still a good 7,500 hectares or 15 percent of the total area, now it is 10,100 hectares and thus a fifth (20.5 percent) of the area. A good 1,000 fruit farmers in Germany now produce fruit entirely organically.
Among the tree fruit varieties, apples dominate by far: Apple trees cover a good two-thirds (33,100 hectares) of the entire area under cultivation. Among the types of stone fruit, sweet cherries (5700 hectares) and plums (4100 hectares) are particularly popular.
A good two-thirds (66.3 percent) of tree fruit cultivation in Germany is spread across the federal states of Baden-Württemberg (around 17,600 hectares), Lower Saxony and Hamburg (11,000 hectares) and Rhineland-Palatinate (4,000 hectares).
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
