The Brandenburger fruit growers currently cultivate their fruit on 1,545 hectares. With 873 hectares apples are still the dominant crop in Brandenburg in 2017. The Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg stated that apple trees grow on more than 50% of the area used to cultivated fruit trees. However, there is a downward trend in area size (2002: 1,484 hectares, 2007: 1.197 hectares and 2012: 1,131 hectares).
The Elstar apple (14,5%) and the Pinova apple (13,0%) are the most popularly cultivated dessert apples, followed by the apples Jonagold (9.0%), Gala (8.5%) as well as Idared (7.6%).
In Brandenburg, 30% of the area used for fruit trees is used to cultivate sweet and sour cherries. Sweet cherries are cultivated on 381 hectares and sour cherries on an area of 83 hectares. Both cherry varieties show a clear decrease in their cultivation area (-117 hectares and resp. 91 hectares).
Plums are cultivated on 114 hectare, which is 7% of the surface. 91% of the plums are used as dessert fruit, suitable for direct consumption. Other fruit such as pears, walnuts, apricots, peaches and quinces are cultivated on a comparatively small surface.
Almost a quarter of the surface (24%) is used for organic cultivation. Organic apples are dominant too, with 232 hectares. Compared to the data from 2012, the area decreased by 431 hectares. The number of farms remained constant (116 farms).
Source: Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg
