Germany is expecting its lowest field-grown strawberry harvest since 1995, according to initial estimates. Farms are expected to harvest 11.3 percent less than the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced on Monday.
As a result, the harvest volume is set to drop to 71,300 tonnes of strawberries, coming in around a quarter below the 2020–2025 average of 94,400 tonnes. The last time the harvest was lower was in 1995, when 68,800 tonnes of strawberries were picked. The Statistical Office attributed the declining strawberry harvest to shrinking cultivation areas: these fell by 2.9 percent compared with the previous year, to 7,830 hectares.
The largest harvest is expected in Lower Saxony, with 18,100 tonnes, a drop of 18 percent. North Rhine-Westphalia follows with an estimated harvest of 14,600 tonnes (down 13.4 percent), while Baden-Württemberg comes in at 13,500 tonnes (up 6.8 percent).
The Statistical Office also anticipates a decrease in the asparagus harvest, forecasting 100,300 tonnes, 3.4 percent less than in 2025. That would be the lowest figure since 2010, when 92,400 tonnes of asparagus were harvested.
However, the downward trend in asparagus cultivation areas appears to be easing. According to the statistics, the area shrank by just 1.5 percent compared with 2025. Most asparagus in 2026 will again be harvested in Lower Saxony, with 21,000 tonnes (up 5.4 percent), closely followed by Bavaria and then Brandenburg.
The estimates are based on a representative preliminary survey conducted in June 2026, the Statistical Office said. Final results, including figures on the strawberry harvest from greenhouses, will be published by the agency in spring 2027.
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