(21 February 2019) – Spain was the leading EU Member State in terms of the production area of fruit in 2017 (422 800 ha, or 33% of the EU total), followed by Italy (279 300 ha, or 22%) and Poland (167 300 ha, or 13%).
The area planted with fruit trees accounted for around 1% of utilised agriculture area (173 million ha in 2016). Compared with 2012, the area under fruit trees in the EU slightly increased (+0.4%).
Between 2012 and 2017, among the countries with largest areas covered with fruit trees, there were expansions of fruit plantations in Poland (up +16 300 ha, or +11%), in Greece (up +5 300 ha, or +6%), in Romania (up +3 400 ha, or +6%) and in Portugal (up +2 500 ha, or +7%).
These offset declines elsewhere, notably in Spain (-9 800 ha less, or -2%), Italy (-6 300 ha less, or -2%), Czechia (-4 100 ha less, or -29%) and Croatia (-1 900 ha less, or -24%).