The Winter Berry: What Counts as Covered Strawberries
Covered strawberries are the S0000S line of the Eurostat crop dataset apro_cpsh1: fruit grown under glass or other high accessible cover, as against the open-field S0000 line in the same table. In 2024 the reporting member states grew 746.4 thousand tonnes that way — about three quarters of a million tonnes of berries that do not depend on the open sky.
Officially there is no EU-27 aggregate for this code. Every European total in this article is a sum of the member states that report the S0000S series, and because not every country reports, that sum is a floor rather than a complete European count. The decade runs from 660.2 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 746.4 in 2024, a net gain of 13.1%, with the low point at 601.4 in 2018 and a recovery to 705.7 by 2021.
A coefficient of variation of 6.7% over ten years makes this line steadier than the headline strawberry harvest it sits inside. One limit is worth stating plainly: apro_cpsh1 is an annual dataset with no monthly breakdown, so the "off season" story here is an inference from the production system — fruit grown under cover can be scheduled into winter — not something the table proves month by month. The line chart beside this section plots the covered-strawberry total for 2015 to 2024.
Covered strawberry production in the reporting member states, 2015 to 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. The S0000S code has no official EU-27 aggregate line.
| Year | Covered strawberries, EU member sum (1 000 t) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 660.2 |
| 2016 | 633.9 |
| 2017 | 629.8 |
| 2018 | 601.4 |
| 2019 | 653.3 |
| 2020 | 608.4 |
| 2021 | 705.7 |
| 2022 | 675.4 |
| 2023 | 707.0 |
| 2024 | 746.4 |
Spain's Share: The Covered-Berry Leader
Spain is the covered-strawberry leader by a wide margin: 319.5 thousand tonnes in 2024, or 42.8% of the 746.4 thousand tonne member-state sum. The bar chart beside this section ranks the six largest covered producers for 2024, and the Spanish bar stands at more than twice the height of the next one.
That lead is smaller than it was. Spain's covered output was 394.4 thousand tonnes in 2015 and 319.5 in 2024, a fall of 19.0% and the only double-digit decline among the large covered producers. The area behind it slipped from 7.1 to 6.8 thousand hectares, and a coefficient of variation of 9.8% makes Spain the steadiest of the big lines.
The striking figure is how much of Spain's own crop is covered: 319.5 of the country's 323.5 thousand tonnes of strawberries, or 98.7%, as the companion article on the EU strawberry map reports. Spanish strawberry growing is in practice a protected system with an open-field crop attached, and it is the protected part that can be sold outside the spring flush. The dataset shows the tonnes, not the selling weeks.
The six largest covered strawberry producers in 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. Shares are of the member-state covered sum, which excludes countries that do not report the S0000S series.
| Country | Covered production 2024 (1 000 t) | Share of the member-state covered sum |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 319.5 | 42.8% |
| Greece | 133.9 | 17.9% |
| Italy | 94.7 | 12.7% |
| Netherlands | 66.0 | 8.8% |
| France | 56.6 | 7.6% |
| Germany | 41.8 | 5.6% |
Greece's Second Place and the Dutch Trays
Greece is the clearest mover of the decade among the leaders: covered output rose from 58.8 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 133.9 in 2024, a gain of 127.8%, with the covered area more than doubling from 1.1 to 2.6 thousand hectares. Much of that arrived late — the Greek line jumped from 105.5 thousand tonnes in 2023 to 133.9 in 2024, up 26.9% in one year — which is why its coefficient of variation, 30.4%, is the highest among the large producers.
The Netherlands grew almost as fast in percentage terms, from 28.6 to 66.0 thousand tonnes, up 131.0%, on just 0.6 thousand hectares of cover. These are not field berries: Dutch output is a tray-and-glasshouse system built for controlled delivery. Germany shows the same direction more dramatically, from 12.1 to 41.8 thousand tonnes, a gain of 244.2% — the fastest of any large covered producer.
Put the two leaders together and the concentration becomes visible: Spain and Greece hold 453.4 of the 746.4 thousand tonnes, 60.7% of the covered sum. The multi-line chart beside this section follows Spain, Greece and the Netherlands across the decade, and the split is generational — Spain declining from a very high base while its two rivals climb. The honest caveat is that Greece's rise is recent enough for a single strong year to carry much of it.
Greece, the Netherlands and Germany, covered strawberry production 2015 against 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
| Country | 2015 (1 000 t) | 2024 (1 000 t) | Net change | Covered area 2024 (1 000 ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 58.8 | 133.9 | +127.8% | 2.6 |
| Netherlands | 28.6 | 66.0 | +131.0% | 0.6 |
| Germany | 12.1 | 41.8 | +244.2% | 2.1 |
Season Stretch: How Cover Changed the Calendar
The two series in this dataset point in opposite directions. The covered member-state sum grew from 660.2 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 746.4 in 2024, up 13.1%, while the published EU-27 strawberry crop as a whole fell 5.8% over the same decade to 1 194.9 thousand tonnes. Dividing the two 2024 figures gives 62.5%: the covered segment is a clear majority of the European strawberry harvest, and it is the half that is growing.
That ratio needs a caveat, because it mixes two codes. The 1 194.9 thousand tonnes is a genuine EU-27 aggregate for total strawberries (S0000); the 746.4 is a sum of the member states reporting covered strawberries (S0000S), so it leaves out any country that does not report that series. The 62.5% is therefore an indicative division, not an official covered share — Eurostat publishes no EU-wide figure for this code.
At country level the change is a re-weighting. Greece (58.8 to 133.9), the Netherlands (28.6 to 66.0) and Germany (12.1 to 41.8) all multiplied their covered output, while Spain fell from 394.4 to 319.5 (-19.0%) and Italy from 105.1 to 94.7 (-9.8%). The grouped-bar chart beside this section places 2015 next to 2024 for Spain, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and France, and shows a segment shifting north and east — though the annual table cannot put a number on the extra weeks of supply that implies.
Covered strawberries, 2015 against 2024, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. The final row is a member-state sum, not an official EU-27 aggregate.
| Country | Covered 2015 (1 000 t) | Covered 2024 (1 000 t) | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 394.4 | 319.5 | -19.0% |
| Greece | 58.8 | 133.9 | +127.8% |
| Italy | 105.1 | 94.7 | -9.8% |
| Netherlands | 28.6 | 66.0 | +131.0% |
| France | 40.1 | 56.6 | +41.4% |
| EU member sum (covered) | 660.2 | 746.4 | +13.1% |
Shelf Note: What Concentration Means for Winter Supply
Concentration is the practical message for buyers. The six largest reporting countries account for 712.5 of the 746.4 thousand covered tonnes in 2024, and Spain and Greece alone for 453.4 — 60.7%. A winter shelf supplied from covered production therefore leans on two origins, one of which has been shrinking for a decade.
The yield figures explain why the Dutch trays matter despite their small area. Per hectare of cover, the Netherlands produced 110.0 tonnes of strawberries in 2024, against 51.7 in Greece, 49.3 in Poland, 47.1 in Spain, 34.7 in Italy, 25.5 in France and 20.4 in Germany. These are derived rates — production divided by the covered area reported in the same table — and they reward stacked tray systems over soil beds.
Stability is the other half of the supply note. Spain's coefficient of variation of 9.8% is the lowest among the large covered producers, while Portugal (48.3%) and Finland (53.4%) are far jumpier — on bases of just 4.4 and 0.2 thousand tonnes, where one good or bad year moves the percentage enormously. The bar chart beside this section shows covered-strawberry yields for 2024 by country. The winter shelf is broad in volume and narrow in origin.
Covered strawberry yield in 2024, tonnes per hectare, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. Yields are derived as production divided by the covered area reported for the same year.
| Country | Yield 2024 (t/ha) | Covered area 2024 (1 000 ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 110.0 | 0.6 |
| Greece | 51.7 | 2.6 |
| Poland | 49.3 | 0.3 |
| Spain | 47.1 | 6.8 |
| Italy | 34.7 | 2.7 |
| Portugal | 27.2 | 0.2 |
| France | 25.5 | 2.2 |
| Germany | 20.4 | 2.1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country grows the most covered strawberries in the EU?
Spain: 319.5 thousand tonnes in 2024, 42.8% of the member-state covered sum of 746.4 thousand tonnes. Greece is second with 133.9 thousand tonnes (17.9%) and Italy third with 94.7 (12.7%).
Where do winter strawberries come from?
Overwhelmingly from Spain and Greece, which together grew 453.4 of the 746.4 thousand covered tonnes in 2024 — 60.7%. Spain alone accounts for 319.5 thousand tonnes, 42.8%. The dataset is annual and carries no monthly data, so the winter timing follows from the covered production system rather than from a monthly breakdown.
How concentrated is covered strawberry production?
The six largest reporting countries account for 712.5 of the 746.4 thousand tonnes in 2024, and the top two for 60.7%. There is no official EU-27 aggregate for the S0000S code, so all these shares are computed from a sum of reporting member states.
How does covered output relate to the total EU strawberry crop?
In 2024 the covered member-state sum of 746.4 thousand tonnes was 62.5% of the EU-27 strawberry crop of 1 194.9 thousand tonnes, which fell 5.8% over the decade while covered output rose 13.1%. The comparison spans two codes — S0000S for covered fruit and S0000 for the total — so the percentage is indicative rather than an official Eurostat ratio.
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.
