This year, for the first time in its history, the production area for pears in the Netherlands will exceed that for apples, it has been revealed.
According to a new report published by the country's Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS), Dutch pear production for 2012 covered 8,350ha, compared with 8,120ha for apples.
Pears are understood to have overtaken apples as a result of a two per cent increase in planted area for the former and a similar decrease for the latter.
Meanwhile, the area of vegetables grown under glass in the Netherlands has increased during the past year, according to figures released by CBS.
The agency's latest report showed that glasshouse tomato production had increased by 3 per cent to 1,760ha compared with 2011, while for peppers the increase was just 1 per cent.
No expansion had been recorded for aubergines (100ha) and cucumbers (650ha), however.
