Germany’s cherry harvest is expected to be significantly lower this year as a result of frost and rain damage to trees during flowering, with some 55,600 tonnes anticipated for this season.
According to the country’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), German cherry growers are likely to produce 34,600 tonnes of sweet cherries and 21,000 tonnes of sour cherries this season – a fall of 12 per cent and 31 per cent respectively compared with 2009.
This year’s expected harvest is also set to be 10 per cent lower in terms of sweet cherries and 30 per cent down for sour cherries compared with the average crop volumes recorded over the last 10 years.
In its crop update, Destatis said that late bud development, as well as frosts and above-average rainfall during flowering, had negatively affected the harvest.
The agency said that Germany currently has 5,4000 ha of cherry production, as well as 3,000ha of sour cherries.
