The Two-Step: Spain's Volume, the Netherlands' Precision
Europe grew 2 177.2 thousand tonnes of cucumbers under glass or high accessible cover in 2024 — the member-state sum for the covered-cucumber series, because apro_cpsh1 publishes no official EU-27 aggregate line for any S-suffixed covered crop. Every European total in this article is therefore a sum of the countries that report, and it should be read as such. The chart beside this section plots that member sum year by year from 2015 to 2024.
The decade opens at 1 949.1 thousand tonnes in 2015, slips to 1 873.1 in 2016, then climbs almost without interruption: 2 065.0 in 2019, 2 167.8 in 2020 and a peak of 2 185.0 in 2021. Two softer years follow — 2 142.8 in 2022 and 2 132.8 in 2023 — before the line returns to 2 177.2 in 2024. Net over the decade that is +11.7%, with a coefficient of variation of 5.4%: a steady line for a fresh vegetable.
What the line hides is a division of labour. Spain supplies 743.8 thousand tonnes, 34.2% of the covered crop, from 8.2 thousand hectares; the Netherlands supplies 416.0 thousand tonnes, 19.1%, from 0.6 thousand hectares. One country brings volume across a wide area, the other precision inside a very small one — a two-step that keeps European shelves filled all year. Read the figures with the reporting caveat in mind: they describe the countries that report the V3200S series, not a constructed EU aggregate.
Covered cucumbers, sum of reporting member states, 2015 to 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. The dataset carries no official EU-27 aggregate line for the V3200S series.
| Year | Covered cucumbers, EU member sum (1 000 t) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 949.1 |
| 2016 | 1 873.1 |
| 2017 | 1 927.8 |
| 2018 | 1 977.9 |
| 2019 | 2 065.0 |
| 2020 | 2 167.8 |
| 2021 | 2 185.0 |
| 2022 | 2 142.8 |
| 2023 | 2 132.8 |
| 2024 | 2 177.2 |
Market Shares: 2.2 Million Tonnes of Covered Cucumbers
Covered cucumbers are a 2 177.2-thousand-tonne market in 2024 — about 2.2 million tonnes — and its shape is unusually top-heavy. The bar chart beside this section ranks the ten largest producers of 2024, and Spain's bar at 743.8 stands far out: a third of the European crop under cover.
The Netherlands follow with 416.0 thousand tonnes (19.1%) and Poland with 305.2 thousand tonnes (14.0%). Those three together account for 1 465.0 thousand tonnes — 67.3% of everything grown under cover. After that the ladder flattens quickly: France with 149.5 thousand tonnes (6.9%) and Greece with 131.9 (6.1%) are the last producers above 100 thousand tonnes.
The long tail of the table shows how many countries take part and how little they carry: Germany 68.5 thousand tonnes (3.1%), Italy 62.2 (2.9%), Finland 53.8 (2.5%), Bulgaria 45.4 (2.1%) and Romania 39.8 (1.8%). Unlike strawberries or tomatoes, there is no real second tier here — three large producers and a field of niche suppliers. One reminder matters throughout: these shares are measured against the member-state sum, not an official EU-27 total, because no such total exists for this crop.
The ten largest EU producers of covered cucumbers in 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. Shares use the member-state sum, since the dataset publishes no EU aggregate for this crop.
| Country | 2024 production (1 000 t) | Share of EU member sum |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 743.8 | 34.2% |
| Netherlands | 416.0 | 19.1% |
| Poland | 305.2 | 14.0% |
| France | 149.5 | 6.9% |
| Greece | 131.9 | 6.1% |
| Germany | 68.5 | 3.1% |
| Italy | 62.2 | 2.9% |
| Finland | 53.8 | 2.5% |
| Bulgaria | 45.4 | 2.1% |
| Romania | 39.8 | 1.8% |
The Efficiency Gap in the Numbers
Yield separates the two systems more sharply than any other figure. In 2024 the Netherlands reach a derived 650.0 t/ha and Poland 436.0 t/ha, while Spain sits at 91.3 t/ha and Greece at 80.4 t/ha; Italy records 77.8 t/ha. France (199.4 t/ha) and Germany (285.4 t/ha) fill the space between the extremes — an eightfold spread inside a single European market.
The land behind those figures is just as telling. The Netherlands harvest 416.0 thousand tonnes from 0.6 thousand hectares; Spain harvests 743.8 thousand tonnes from 8.2 thousand hectares. Spain therefore uses roughly fourteen times the area for less than twice the tonnage. That is not a verdict — field-scale and glasshouse production deliver different calendars and different costs — but it explains why the same tonnage means two very different systems in two countries.
The multi-line chart beside this section sets Spain, the Netherlands and Poland side by side across the decade, and stability is the real difference: a coefficient of variation of 4.5% for the Netherlands, 6.5% for Poland and 8.3% for Spain. One caveat applies to every t/ha number here: they are derived — production divided by harvested area — not measured, and areas are published to one decimal place. Where the area is 0.1 thousand hectares (Belgium 424.9 t/ha, Finland 488.6 t/ha), rounding amplifies the ratio; treat those as indicators, not precision readings.
Covered cucumber yields in 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. Yields are derived as production divided by harvested area; small areas amplify the ratio, so the 0.1-thousand-hectare reporters should be read with care.
| Country | 2024 production (1 000 t) | 2024 area (1 000 ha) | Derived yield (t/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 416.0 | 0.6 | 650.0 |
| Finland | 53.8 | 0.1 | 488.6 |
| Poland | 305.2 | 0.7 | 436.0 |
| Belgium | 29.7 | 0.1 | 424.9 |
| Germany | 68.5 | 0.2 | 285.4 |
| France | 149.5 | 0.8 | 199.4 |
| Spain | 743.8 | 8.2 | 91.3 |
| Greece | 131.9 | 1.6 | 80.4 |
| Italy | 62.2 | 0.8 | 77.8 |
| Portugal | 13.4 | 0.2 | 67.1 |
A Decade of Two Trends
Over the full decade the two leaders grew, but slowly: Spain from 685.2 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 743.8 in 2024, +8.6%, and the Netherlands from 405.0 to 416.0, +2.7%. These are the two largest bases in Europe, and both are close to flat — the volumes that dominate the market are the ones that moved least.
The group behind them moved faster. Poland rose from 266.7 to 305.2 thousand tonnes, +14.4%, and did it on a harvested area that fell from 1.6 to 0.7 thousand hectares — production concentrating into fewer, more intensive hectares. France climbed from 121.1 to 149.5 thousand tonnes, +23.5%, and Greece from 115.4 to 131.9, +14.3%. The grouped chart beside this section puts the five 2015 bars next to their 2024 counterparts: Spain and the Netherlands barely change height while the rest step up.
The fastest growers are the small bases, where percentages flatter: Italy +79.2% (34.7 to 62.2 thousand tonnes), Belgium +76.5% (16.9 to 29.7) and Germany +60.2% (42.8 to 68.5) all expanded from positions too small to reshape the ranking. Against that, the wider vegetable board is stalling: the covered-lettuce member sum went from 355.6 to 356.8 thousand tonnes (+0.35%) and covered tomatoes from 5 397.5 to 5 315.9 (-1.51%). Covered cucumbers, +11.7% on the member sum, are the expanding line.
Covered cucumbers by country, 2015 against 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. CV is the coefficient of variation of each national series over the decade, in percent; the EU line is the sum of reporting member states.
| Country | 2015 (1 000 t) | 2024 (1 000 t) | Net change | CV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 685.2 | 743.8 | +8.6% | 8.3 |
| Netherlands | 405.0 | 416.0 | +2.7% | 4.5 |
| Poland | 266.7 | 305.2 | +14.4% | 6.5 |
| France | 121.1 | 149.5 | +23.5% | 12.4 |
| Greece | 115.4 | 131.9 | +14.3% | 7.2 |
| Italy | 34.7 | 62.2 | +79.2% | 19.8 |
| Belgium | 16.9 | 29.7 | +76.5% | 21.5 |
| Germany | 42.8 | 68.5 | +60.2% | 13.9 |
| EU member sum | 1 949.1 | 2 177.2 | +11.7% | 5.4 |
Buyer's Note: Supply Windows and What the Data Cannot Show
What this dataset can do is answer three questions with confidence: who grows covered cucumbers, how much, and how steadily. In 2024 Spain leads on volume with 743.8 thousand tonnes (34.2%), the Netherlands leads on intensity with a derived 650.0 t/ha, and Poland is the fastest-moving large producer at 305.2 thousand tonnes (14.0%), up 14.4% over the decade. The yield chart beside this section makes the spread visible: Greece 80.4 t/ha and Italy 77.8 at the lower end, Spain 91.3 in the middle, then Poland 436.0 and the Netherlands 650.0.
What it cannot do is tell you when the crop lands. apro_cpsh1 carries annual tonnages only: there is no monthly or weekly series for cucumbers under cover, so any statement about a Spanish spring window, a Dutch winter window or a gap in a specific month would go beyond the data. The dataset also publishes no EU-wide covered-cucumber yield, and every t/ha figure here is a derived ratio — production divided by harvested area — rather than a measured value, which matters most where the area is tiny.
For a buyer, the honest reading is structural rather than seasonal. Two origins dominate: Spain's 743.8 thousand tonnes provide a volume base a single-country sourcing plan can rest on, while the Netherlands' 416.0 thousand tonnes come from 0.6 thousand hectares with the steadiest decade of the three leaders (CV 4.5%) — which is what precision looks like in the series. Everything seasonal, the actual supply windows, has to come from somewhere other than this table.
The five lines shown in the 2024 yield chart, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. All yields are derived as production divided by harvested area.
| Country | Derived yield (t/ha) | 2024 area (1 000 ha) | 2024 production (1 000 t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 80.4 | 1.6 | 131.9 |
| Italy | 77.8 | 0.8 | 62.2 |
| Spain | 91.3 | 8.2 | 743.8 |
| Poland | 436.0 | 0.7 | 305.2 |
| Netherlands | 650.0 | 0.6 | 416.0 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country grows the most cucumbers under cover in the EU?
Spain: 743.8 thousand tonnes in 2024, 34.2% of the European total. The Netherlands is second with 416.0 thousand tonnes (19.1%) and Poland third with 305.2 thousand tonnes (14.0%); the three together hold 1 465.0 thousand tonnes, 67.3%.
How much of Europe's covered cucumber supply is Spanish?
Spain accounts for 743.8 of the 2 177.2 thousand tonnes grown under cover in 2024 — 34.2%. That total is a sum of reporting member states, because apro_cpsh1 publishes no official EU-27 aggregate for the covered-cucumber series.
What role do Dutch growers play in covered cucumbers?
They supply the most per hectare: 416.0 thousand tonnes, 19.1% of the total, from 0.6 thousand hectares, a derived 650.0 t/ha against Spain's 91.3. Their decade is also the steadiest of the three leaders (CV 4.5%), so the Netherlands pair smaller volume with unusual consistency.
Are covered cucumber harvests stable?
Broadly yes. The member-state sum moved from 1 949.1 to 2 177.2 thousand tonnes over 2015-2024, +11.7%, with a coefficient of variation of 5.4%. The Netherlands is steadiest (CV 4.5%), Poland next (6.5%) and Spain the most variable of the leaders (8.3%).
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
