The 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the leanest apple harvests in the European Union in recent history, with total fruit volumes projected to fall below 11 million short tons (10 million metric tons).

The latest forecasts were released on August 6 at the Prognosfruit conference by the World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA). The figures set a stark backdrop for Interpoma, the international apple industry trade fair, which takes place November 25–27 at Fiera Bolzano.

Growers across Europe are facing severe headwinds from extreme weather events—including spring frosts, heatwaves, drought, and hailstorms—alongside escalating plant pathogens. Against this challenging backdrop, Interpoma 2026 will focus on smart spraying technology to help growers protect crop yields, boost efficiency, and maintain long-term competitiveness.

The European harvest: what to expect 

Looking in detail at the data released at Prognosfruit, EU production for 2026 is estimated at 10.47 million US short tons (9.5 million metric tons), the lowest figure recorded in the past nine years, down 16 percent on the previous season and 14 percent below the three-year average.

Poland, particularly hard-hit by frost, will see one of the most significant declines, with production of 2.98 million US short tons (2.7 million metric tons, -30 percent). France will register a 24 percent drop to around 1.32 million US short tons (1.2 million metric tons), a decline driven mainly by aphids and pathogens. Germany is down, at 1.10 million US short tons (1 million metric tons, -11 percent), along with Belgium (-25 percent) and the Netherlands (-17 percent). Italy has held up comparatively well, with 2.54 million US short tons (2.3 million metric tons) marking a 2 percent fall. Spain, by contrast, is up 8 percent, while Greece is approaching 331,000 US short tons (300,000 metric tons) with a 53 percent increase.

By variety, the sharpest declines in 2026 are seen in Golden Delicious and Gala, down 11 percent and 9 percent respectively. Red Delicious (-5 percent) and Granny Smith (-4 percent) are also down, while Fuji is holding steady (+1 percent) and new varieties are up 9 percent, approaching 772,000 US short tons (700,000 metric tons). On quality, WAPA's forecasts point to slightly smaller fruit sizes than last year and an earlier harvest in many countries.

While the 2026/2027 season points to a relatively stable outlook for growers commercially, the main challenge in the years ahead will be sustaining harvest quantity and quality through new technologies and innovative tools.

Spraying technology takes center stage 

Innovation will indeed be a key theme at Interpoma 2026, which will focus on digitalization as applied to spraying technology – central to turning orchard protection into a driver of strategic efficiency and competitiveness.

"New Approaches in Spraying Technology: Efficiency meets sustainability" is the Day 1 headline of the Interpoma Congress, taking place on Thursday, 26 November. During the day, experts from the scientific and technology worlds will explore solutions to improve treatment precision, optimize product use, reduce off-target losses and guide the orchard towards more efficient and sustainable production models.

But the topic extends well beyond the Congress. As the true common thread of this edition, spraying technology will also take center stage at the Interpoma Award and in the exhibition area at the FieraMesse H1 Eventspace, which will host the "Orchard of the Future".

Equally interesting for analyzing industry developments will be the second day of the international Congress, on Friday, 27 November. "Regional Opportunities and Global Challenges: Latin America in Focus" will provide an internationally strategic perspective on rapidly evolving apple-producing regions in Latin America, including Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

The story continues in ipoma magazine 

The first content from the 2026 edition of ipoma magazine, coordinated by expert and consultant Gerhard Dichgans, is already available online, with new in-depth features to be published in the coming days. In an exclusively digital format, continuing the evolution launched in 2024, the fourth issue of ipoma will offer ongoing insights into trends, the future of the sector and the key players shaping the apple industry worldwide.

The 14th edition of Interpoma will take place from 25 to 27 November 2026 at Fiera Bolzano.

*Top photo courtesy of Interpoma.

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