Concerns over slow apple sales

12-5-2026

Last week, the German market analysis agency AMI expressed its concerns about the current market situation for apples. In an analysis published on its website, AMI addressed the situation in Germany, but the situation is no different in other countries – or even across Europe.

The start of August 2025 was so promising: an estimated apple harvest of 10.46 million tonnes; roughly the same as the previous year. After the harvest, the quantity of apples harvested turned out to be significantly higher than expected. In the months following the harvest, stock depletion remained structurally at too low a level. The result: according to AMI’s analysis, cold stores were still unusually full at the start of May. Worse still; despite all efforts, the gap compared to previous years is widening month by month. In other words: the oversupply of apples is growing every month. According to AMI, these extra quantities can hardly be sold on the fresh market anymore. AMI expects that German Elstar apples will not be sold until July at the earliest. This is unusually late for German Elstar. Stocks of German Jonagold are also still very high.

According to AMI, the declining demand for apples can be explained by the fact that German consumers are increasingly opting for foodtainers instead of traditional 2 kg packs. At the same time, club varieties are gaining further ground, whilst standard varieties are losing market share. In addition, there is increasing competitive pressure from alternative fruits; in particular blueberries and exotic fruits such as avocados, for which there is growing consumer demand. (This text has been machine-translated)