EU Fresh Peas Production: 10-Year Momentum Report [2015–2024]

10-Year Production Trajectory: Rising Stars & Fading Producers

Over the 2015–2024 period, EU-27 fresh peas production averaged around 808 thousand tonnes annually, peaking at 907.4 thousand tonnes in 2021 and bottoming out at 734.8 thousand tonnes in the final year of the decade. The overall trajectory was broadly stable, with total output easing from 756.7 thousand tonnes at the start to 734.8 thousand tonnes at the end — a modest net decline of 21.9 thousand tonnes (-2.9%). The 2019 figure carries a data gap and is reported as N/A in the table below.

France maintained its commanding lead, contributing roughly one-third of EU fresh peas output across the decade. French production grew at a 2.78% CAGR, adding 56.9 thousand tonnes net, with a decade-high of 314.5 thousand tonnes in 2021. Its 2020 value carries a break-in-series flag, reflecting a methodological change in French reporting. Spain, the second-largest producer, trended upward at a 1.63% CAGR (+15.7%), adding 13.3 thousand tonnes net to reach 98.0 thousand tonnes by 2024. Poland followed a similar ascending trajectory, growing at 1.09% CAGR to finish at 48.2 thousand tonnes, a net gain of 4.5 thousand tonnes.

The standout performer was the Netherlands, which surged 60.9% at a 5.42% CAGR — the fastest growth of any major EU producer — raising output from 17.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 28.5 thousand tonnes in 2024, with a decade-high of 37.2 thousand tonnes in 2023. In contrast, Hungary posted the sharpest decline: a -5.55% CAGR and a net loss of 38.0 thousand tonnes (-40.2%), falling from 94.5 to 56.6 thousand tonnes. Germany also contracted significantly, with production falling 28.4% at a -3.65% CAGR, losing 7.8 thousand tonnes net. Italy and Belgium held largely steady, with CAGRs of 0.63% and 0.96% respectively — both classified as Stable.

Supply Stability Scorecard: Reliability Rankings

Supply reliability varied widely among the top fresh peas producers. The coefficient of variation (CV) — a measure of year-to-year output consistency — ranged from a tight 8.03% for Poland to a volatile 26.01% for the Netherlands, underscoring how production scale and stability do not always align.

Poland claimed the top stability rank with the lowest CV (8.03%) and only four years below its mean of 47.6 thousand tonnes. It was the only producer classified as Very Stable. Italy ranked second (CV 8.95%, max drawdown -13.3%), also in the Very Stable tier, despite ranking only fourth by total volume. France, the largest producer by a wide margin, came third (CV 11.53%) with a relatively modest maximum drawdown of -12.93%, the best downside protection of any major producer — meaning its worst single-year decline was shallower than Poland's or Italy's.

Belgium (CV 12.27%), Spain (CV 12.75%), Germany (CV 14.51%), and Hungary (CV 19.02%) all fell into the Moderately Stable band (CV 10–20%). Of these, Spain exhibited the most peculiar pattern: despite a relatively average CV, its production range was wide, swinging from a low of 84.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 to a high of 138.8 thousand tonnes in 2021.

At the volatile end, the Netherlands (CV 26.01%) was the only supplier in the Volatile category, a reflection of its rapid expansion phase. Hungary suffered the deepest single-year drawdown of -38.06% — the worst of any top producer — driven by its collapse from 91.3 thousand tonnes in 2023 to 56.6 thousand tonnes in 2024.

Land Allocation Shift: 10-Year Cropland Transformation

The land dedicated to fresh peas across the EU-27 expanded modestly from 129.5 thousand hectares in 2015 to 133.2 thousand hectares in 2024, a net gain of 3.7 thousand hectares (+2.9%). However, national trends diverged sharply: the sharpest relative expansion occurred in the Netherlands (+50.0%) and France (+42.0%), while Germany (-24.2%) and Hungary (-16.9%) saw the most significant contraction.

France expanded its fresh peas area by 12.1 thousand hectares (a 3.97% annualized growth rate), confirming that its production gains were partly driven by area expansion rather than yield improvements alone. The Netherlands added 1.8 thousand hectares (4.61%/yr), the fastest land-growth rate among all top producers, expanding from 3.5 to 5.3 thousand hectares. Belgium also expanded its area meaningfully, gaining 1.1 thousand hectares (+10.6%, 1.12%/yr), with area rising from 10.4 to 11.5 thousand hectares.

Hungary reduced its fresh peas area by 2.9 thousand hectares (-16.9%, -2.03%/yr), falling from 16.9 to 14.1 thousand hectares, and Germany cut 1.2 thousand hectares (-24.2%, -3.03%/yr), declining from 4.8 to 3.6 thousand hectares. Italy, Spain, and Poland saw virtually no net area change, with their combined trends classified as Stable. The EU-27 aggregate area ended the decade essentially flat, reflecting the offsetting effects of expansion in the northwest and contraction in central Europe.

Comparing production CAGR against area growth rates provides insight into the nature of each country's trajectory. France's production CAGR of 2.78% closely tracks its area growth of 3.97%, indicating that most of its output gains came from bringing additional land into fresh peas cultivation. The Netherlands presents a similar picture, with a production CAGR of 5.42% against an area CAGR of 4.61%, showing that both land conversion and modest yield gains contributed. In contrast, Hungary and Germany experienced production declines that outpaced their area contraction, suggesting that falling yields compounded the effect of shrinking acreage.

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