During the past 10 years, apple production in China has grown by about 10 million tonnes, from 38 million tonnes in 2014 to 48 million tonnes in 2024. Production is expected to stabilise during the next couple of years. Due to various factors the apple hectarage has been slightly falling during the past few years. The American Ministry for Agriculture (USDA) expects the surface area to further slightly shrink during the next few years. The reason for this is a measure decreed by the Chinese government that fruit production is forbidden on soil that is suited for growing grain.
As a result of this, orchards must be replaced by grain or other strategic products, such as oil-yielding seeds.
Read the complete article on this in the EFM February edition (accessible to subscribers)