“This year's apple harvest is expected to be above average. Therefore, Slovenian consumers will be able buy locally grown apples this year,” the Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises said.

Slovenian fruit growers are expected to produce 65,000 metric tonnes of apples this year – up from the five-year average of 43,000 tonnes, the Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises said.

In 2016 and 2017, apples were badly affected by frost. Slovenian fruit growers were only able to produce 12,000 tonnes of apples in 2016. The 2017 harvest was even more dismal, as Slovenian fruit growers managed to grow only 6,000 tonnes of apples.

No bad harvests until 2015
Slovenia was self-sufficient in apples before the 2016 and 2017 frosts. In 2015, Slovenian fruit growers produced 71,000 tonnes of apples.

This year’s apple harvest will be somewhat worse than the 2015 harvest, mainly because of the damage caused by the aforementioned frosts, but also due to low levels of available carbohydrates before the harvest. According to the Chamber of Agricultural and Food Enterprises, carbohydrate levels are low because temperatures dropped after the recent rain.

Still, this year’s harvest will be better than the recent five-year average of 43,000 tonnes – and even better than the five-year average before the aforementioned frosts (63,000 tonnes).