Pears the most cultivated fruit in Netherlands, plum cultivation declining

Pears will be the cultivated fruit type in the Netherlands in 2024. Just over 1,100 companies will grow pears this year on an average of 8.7 hectares. The area of ​​pear cultivation has increased by more than 80 percent compared to 2010, reports the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) based on the provisional agricultural census 2024.

The area of ​​plum cultivation is actually decreasing. This year, 260 hectares, or 520 football fields, are used for plums. That is 40 percent less than at the beginning of the century. The number of companies that grow plums is also decreasing. This year, 270 companies grow plums, almost half as many as in 2000.

According to CBS, more cherries have been grown in the Netherlands since the 1990s. This is partly due to the emergence of new varieties. The area of ​​cherry production has almost tripled since 2000 to around 560 hectares (1120 football fields). With the exception of 2004, 2010, and 2019, the area in which cherries are grown has increased every year. The number of cherry growers (340) has remained approximately the same since 2000.

In 2024, cherry growers affected by an exotic fruit fly will be allowed to use two crop protection products for the last time. According to Statistics Netherlands, whether this measure will affect cherry cultivation next year is unclear.

Most companies that grow cherries or plums combine this with other fruits, such as apples or pears. In 2024, there will be over 219 companies that grow cherries with another type of fruit, and 223 companies grow plums with other fruits. Around 120 cherry growers grow only cherries. The number of companies that have only grown plums has decreased in recent years.

The apple is the most produced fruit after the pear. In 2024, this fruit will be made by 920 companies on an average of 5.7 hectares. In contrast to pears, the area for apple cultivation has remained approximately the same over the past fourteen years.