Improved growing conditions set to deliver quality harvest with Elstar apples up 17 per cent and Conference pears increasing 4 per cent
The Netherlands is expected to produce more apples and pears this year, according to new data released by GroentenFruit Huis and the Dutch Fruit Growers Organisation (NFO).
Improved conditions over the past few months mean the harvested volume of apples is set to be 17 per cent higher compared with last year at around 226,000 tonnes.
The pear harvest is also expected to be larger, meanwhile, with an 8 per cent annual increase to approximately 348,000 tonnes.
“Thanks to a good growing season, this year will see a good quality harvest of both apples and pears,” the organisations said in a statement. “In 2024, the erratic weather negatively impacted the harvest, but that will not be the case this year.”
Despite several challenges, including higher costs and increasing pressure on plant health, growers are understood to be positive about the upcoming season as they approach the start of their main harvest in late August.
Apple growing area in the Netherlands has been in decline for some years. By 2025, it will have decreased by a further 3 per cent to just over 5,000ha.
Elstar remains by far the most widely grown apple in the country, with 93,00 tonnes expected in 2025/26 – 17 per cent more compared with the previous campaign.
The second-largest variety is Jonagold (including Jonagored), which is expected to reach 52,000 tonnes (+13 per cent), with Kanzi and Rode Boskoop the next most-harvested varieties.
As for pears, production currently extends to just below 10,000ha, with a slight decrease of 1 per cent compared with 2024.
Conference makes up 75 per cent of the harvest, with an estimated 260,000 tonnes this coming season – up 4 per cent year on year.
Three other varieties – Doyenné du Comice, Beurré Alexander Lucas, and Xenia – are set to yield around 21,000 tonnes each.
