Germany is the third-largest importer of sweet and sour cherries in the world. Between 52 and 77 percent of the cherries consumed in Germany are imported, mostly from other EU member states. The German Federal Office of Statistics estimates cherry production for MY2024/25 (April/March) at 41,085 MT, but final production may be lower due to weather conditions. Opportunities for U.S. sweet cherries are best in August/September, after the German domestic growing season.
Production
Based on crop assessments carried out on June 10, the German Federal Office of Statistics (Destatis) estimates German cherry production for MY5 2024/25 at 41,085 MT6. If this materializes, it would be a 2.3 percent increase compared to the very low production of the preceding year but 13 percent below the ten-year (2014-2023) average. This is largely a result of unfavourable weather conditions at the time of pollination. Late spring frosts reduced production, particularly in the East.
Additionally, in the North, wet and cold weather reduced the activity of bees during the pollination time of late varieties. However, actual harvested production may be substantially lower due to summer thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail. At the time of writing (mid-July 2024) the extent to which recent thunderstorms that included hail and heavy rains affected production is unclear. Sweet cherry production is estimated at 33,764 MT and sour cherries at 7,321 MT. In MY 2023/24, production amounted to 40,156 MT, including 32,350 MT of sweet cherries and 7,806 MT of sour cherries. Depending on the region, harvest started in the weeks of May 27 and June 3. In the North this was roughly ten days earlier than average, in the South slightly later than usual. Picking is expected to conclude by mid-August.
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Source: fas.usda.gov