Drought cuts expected Styrian apple harvest by 35 percent

Heat and prolonged drought are expected to reduce this year’s apple harvest in Styria by 35 percent, ORF reported. The Agriculture Chamber of Styria estimates production will fall to about 90,000 tonnes, down from 138,000 tonnes last year.

Only 38 litres of rain per square metre fell on average this year, compared with 230 litres in a typical year. Some apple trees have completely dried out or died, while the harvest began about two weeks earlier than usual.

Spring frosts contributed to the losses, but the main cause was the long period of summer drought, Agriculture Chamber President Andreas Steinegger and Agriculture Minister Simone Schmiedtbauer said on Thursday during a visit to the Singer orchard in Hartl, eastern Styria.

Orchard owner Josef Singer said the effects varied across his farm. Areas that had been irrigated were in good condition, while trees on stony, unirrigated land had discoloured and shedding leaves. The apples there remained edible but were too small to meet the minimum size requirement.

The Singer family established its first storage pond 50 years ago and now has two additional ponds. They are used for irrigation and frost protection, particularly for young trees. Older trees, Singer said, have roots deep enough to reach water.

About 200 farms, or one-third of Styria’s apple growers, can now irrigate their orchards artificially. Farms without irrigation are being pushed to the limits of their viability, Steinegger said, and growers with sufficient capital would need to invest in irrigation.

Schmiedtbauer said the province would continue supporting apple growers. The federal government and the province cover 55 percent of hail insurance premiums, amounting to about 16 million euros in Styria. Since 2024, the province has also covered 65 percent of the cost of building an irrigation pond. The programme is due to continue next year.

Styria accounts for about 76 percent of Austria’s apple-growing area, concentrated mainly in the east of the province. Around 900 growers cultivate apples on approximately 4,600 hectares, supporting about 3,000 jobs on farms and in related sectors, according to the Agriculture Chamber.

Gala apples make up 30 percent of the harvest in Styria, followed by Golden Delicious and Evelina, each with about half as much production as Gala. The average transport distance for a Styrian apple to a shop is about 150 kilometres, compared with around 19,000 kilometres for apples from New Zealand.