German apple harvest falls well below ten-year average

Heat and water shortages reduce nationwide yield to around 934,000 tons, while plums gain.

By Miriam Ostrowski, Nature & Land Editor
Wiesbaden · 2 October 2026, 09:30 CEST · 2 min read

At a glance

Apple harvest of 934,000 tons is 5.4 percent below ten-year average
Heat and drought led to sunburn and stunted growth
Prune plum harvest exceeds ten-year average by 11.5 percent

The apple harvest across German fruit farms will be below average in 2026. According to a preliminary estimate by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, growers expect a total yield of around 934,000 tons of apples.

The expected outcome is 52,900 tons or 5.4 percent below the average from 2016 to 2025. Compared with the high-yield previous year, the decrease is 17.9 percent. The Federal Statistical Office attributes the losses to recurring heat waves and persistent drought. As a result, many fruits dropped prematurely from the trees, remained small, or suffered sunburn damage. In addition, some individual farms recorded crop damage from hail.

Large regional differences

Nationwide, apples are cultivated on an area of 32,700 hectares. Statisticians project an average yield of around 28.6 tons per hectare.

Significant differences are evident at the regional level. In Baden-Württemberg, a yield of 350,000 tons is expected on 11,600 hectares of cultivated land, representing a slight increase of 0.7 percent compared to the ten-year average. Together, Baden-Württemberg and Niedersachsen account for two-thirds of total German apple production. In contrast, the state of Thuringia reported a sharp drop, where the Federal Statistical Office expects a decline of more than 45 percent.

A more positive trend is emerging for stone fruit. For plums and prune plums, fruit growers expect a yield of 49,300 tons in 2026. This figure is 11.5 percent above the average of the past ten years.