According to Destatis, the Federal Statistical Office, German farms are expecting a harvest of around 84,700 tonnes of field strawberries. This is 14% down on the 2022 harvest (98,500 tonnes) and 23% down on the average harvest for the period 2017 to 2022 (110,400 tonnes). The 2023 harvest would be the smallest since 1998 (81,500 tonnes).

 

Several factors could explain this drop in volume, starting with the 7% reduction in the area under productive field strawberries compared with 2022, which now stands at around 9,200 hectares. Other factors include higher production costs, a certain drop in demand, and a delayed start to the harvest due to a relatively cool spring.