Press release: 12.666-257/21

Fruit harvest 2021: Late frost and cold led to lower pome and stone fruit harvest

Vienna, 2021-11-26 – Late frost and cold weather again led to losses in the fruit harvest. In 2021, 188 200 tonnes of dessert fruit were produced, as Statistics Austria reports. This was 14% below the ten-years average and 2% lower than the previous year's production.

Pome fruit production was 159 900 tonnes, 5% below the previous year's level and 15% below the ten-year average. The production of stone fruit anew was very low and reached only 8 700 tonnes, which is 28% below the ten-years average, though 55% over the previous year's production. The harvest of berries yielded 19 400 tonnes, which is 18% over the ten-year average and exceeded the previous year's level by 4%.

Apples, the main Austrian fruit species, achieved a harvest of 152 200 tonnes (-5% compared to 2020). Apricots, as strongly affected by spring frosts, achieved only a production of 4 400 tonnes (-26% compared to the ten-years average). Strawberries yielded 14 300 tonnes (+7% compared to 2020).

For more detailed information please refer to the German version.