Halle (dpa/sa) - Last year a total of around 12,200 tons of apples were harvested in Saxony-Anhalt. The harvest volume is thus well below the average level of around 17,600 tons for the years 2016 to 2021, said a spokeswoman for the State Statistical Office in Halle on Monday. Around two-thirds of the harvest was used as table fruit, and around one-third was processed fruit, such as cider apples. A small part was not sold. The statisticians cited the exceptional drought in the summer as one of the reasons for the decline in harvest volume.
According to the statistics authority, around 1.4 million apple trees were cultivated on around 550 hectares in 2022. According to the statisticians, the total area under cultivation for tree fruit is more than 1000 hectares. In a nationwide comparison, Saxony-Anhalt's area under cultivation for apples is roughly at the level of Hesse. The companies in Baden-Württemberg maintain the largest area under cultivation with around 11,600 hectares.
