The dry summer of 2018 has made itself felt clearly within German vegetable cultivation. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), there were declining crop yields for almost all vegetables compared to the year before. Especially for legumes, at almost the same acreage, the 65,400 tonnes harvested meant 25% less produce. Cabbages, with a harvest of 730,400 tonnes were about 21% below the previous year's level. The dr
y summer also left its mark on carrots, which are the country's most endangered vegetables. The harvest volume of 625,400 tons meant a decrease of about 15%, whereby the acreage had even increased by 3% to 13,000 hectares.
Outdoor vegetables: Two-part decrease
In 2018, a total of 3.3 million tons of outdoor vegetables were harvested nationwide, from an area of 126,500 hectares. The acreage thus fell by 2%, the yield, however, by 14%.
Asparagus continues to be significant
The most important type of vegetable measured on the acreage was 23,400 hectares, accounting for 19% of the total acreage of asparagus vegetables. Over 55% of the acreage cultivated in Lower Saxony (5,100 hectares), North Rhine-Westphalia (4,000 hectares) and Brandenburg (3,900 hectares).
Eco-cultivation - Some growth
In organic farming, the acreage of outdoor vegetables increased slightly by 2% to 14,000 hectares compared to 2017, in holdings that use entirely organic land. This represented 11% of total acreage in the field. The associated yield decreased by 14% to 274,600 tonnes in the same period, due to the dry summer. This accounted for 8% of the total crop of outdoor vegetables.
For more information:
Gemüseanbau und -ernte
Telephone: +49 (0) 611 / 75 86 91
www.destatis.de/kontakt