The EU production of apples is expected to increase by 10% to 12.5 million t in 2021/22 (+8% compared to the 5-year average) driven by an increase in PL (+27% year-on-year) due to an estimated increase in area harvested (+7% y-o-y) and thanks to favourable weather conditions.
The high availability of apples in Poland and the low prices should result in an increase in the share of apples going into processing (to 34% in 2021/22 compared to 29% in 2020/21).
In total, around 7.8 million t are anticipated to be sold for fresh consumption (+2% year-on-year) and 4.1 million t for processing. The EU per capita consumption of fresh apples should remain at a high level (15.3 kg) thanks to lower prices and growing awareness of healthy lifestyle. Per apparent capita consumption of processed apples is expected to increase to around 8 kg (+9.3% year-on-year), driven by increasing stocks which were low at the end of 2020/21.
Within the stable demand for processed apples, the demand for organic products and products without added sugar is growing.