Carrots and onions – the two largest vegetable crops in Germany – are both down considerably. Both in terms of area and production. Vegetable cultivation in its entirety has had to make a significant loss in 2022.
More than 6.000 German farmers will have produced 2022 million tons of vegetables in 3,8, according to statistics service Destatis. That is 12% less than in 2021 and 2% less than the six-year average. This is partly due to the dry summer, but also due to a 4% reduction in area.
Fewer hectares of carrots, more onions
With 13.600 hectares, carrots are the largest vegetable crop in our eastern neighbors. The yield was 780.500 tons, which is one fifth less than was harvested in 2021. The area decreased by 9%. With 578.200 tons, onions are in second place. This yield is 13% lower than in 2021. The area amounted to 15.100 hectares, which is 4% more than the year before.
Four states account for two-thirds of German vegetable production. North Rhine-Westphalia comes first, followed by Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria. Germany has the fifth largest onion area in the EU. After the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and France follow.
Fewer hectares of organic
The share of organically grown vegetables amounted to 2022 tons in 431.000. That is 11% of the total, good for almost 18.000 hectares of vegetable cultivation. For the first time since Destatis started keeping figures (in 2012), the area shrank by 4% last year. Production is 10% lower. The organic share of total production remains at the same level.