As the Netherlands heads for a considerably smaller apple harvest in 2026, the country’s pear production is on course to grow
The apple harvest in the Netherlands is set to be 18 per cent smaller this year than it was in 2025, while the country’s pear crop is on track to be 10 per cent larger, according to new figures released by GroentenFruit Huis and growers group Nederlandse Fruittelers Organisatie (NFO).
The forecasts, which are based on assessments made by the organisations’ harvest working group, translate to around 195,000 tonnes of apples and 393,000 tonnes of pears.
For the apple trade, the anticipated volume is significantly lower than last season, when trees produced above-average yields.
It includes a 21 per cent year-on-year decrease in the volume of Elstar – by far the most widely grown apple variety in the Netherlands – to 77,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, production of the country’s second most widely grown variety, Jonagold (including Jonagored), is set to fall by 20 per cent to 47,000 tonnes.
Kanzi and Rode Boskoop yields will be the third and fourth most-harvested varieties respectively.
Positive for pears
The outlooks is more positive for pear growers, who have seen their average yields rise compared with a year earlier.
The Conference variety still accounts for the lion’s share of Dutch production with around 76 per cent, and that crop is forecast at 299,000 tonnes this year, up 12 per cent compared with 2025.
Other varieties Xenia (24,000 tonnes), Beurré Alexander Lucas (22,000 tonnes), and Doyenné du Comice (21,000 tonnes) follow some way behind.
Explaining the contrast in fortunes, GroentenFruit Huis said in a statement: “Apple cultivation area in the Netherlands has been declining for years. In 2026, this amounted to a decrease of 3 per cent to 4,902ha. Over the past ten years, apple acreage has decreased by more than 2,000ha.”
It added: “Pear cultivation area amounts to 9,995ha in the Netherlands this year. Since 2018, the pear acreage has fluctuated around 10,000ha.”
As the final weeks of the growing season pass, the main question will be whether or not there is sufficient water available to positively influence the final yield in terms of fruit volume and quality, it added.
“The new harvest of the main apple and pear varieties will be available from the end of August. The sector is positive about the upcoming season, despite the fact that hail, dry periods, and additional regulations have led to new challenges.”
