Apples and pears: How big is the total Australian orchard?

As growers face enduring tough conditions, many orchards are downsizing. But just how many productive trees there are nationally is unclear.

The size and scale of Australia’s pear and apple orchard is relatively unknown, despite commentary from industry that growers are ripping out trees in the face of tough industry conditions.

But what data is available shows an enduring consumption demand for apples, while the pear industry experiences one of its best seasons yet.

Leading industry body Hort Innovation data, published in the 2022-23 Hort Statistics Handbook, put the number of productive trees nationwide at 11,421.

That figure has not changed for more than five years, according to Hort Innovation, with the number of productive apple trees at 11,645 in 2017.

The number of productive pear trees has stagnated, with 1354 trees during the same period, down on the 1465 trees reported in 2018.

A Hort Innovation spokesperson said the handbook provides “a high-level snapshot of industries in that financial year”, but could not clarify the stagnation in figures across a five-year period.

“While APAL had input into that data, it is best to speak to the industry body for the most up to date and detailed insights,” the spokesperson said.

APAL government relations and advocacy Jeremy Griffith said data was “so critical” in order to understand the sector.

APAL has recently conducted its first orchard survey of members, which Mr Griffith said showed the footprint of Australia’s combined apple and pear orchard is about 10,000ha.

“This is a huge issue across horticulture, it’s a fragmented industry, and getting a clear picture of what’s in the ground … it’s challenging.”

The number of productive trees nationwide is unclear, but industry commentators have said growers have been removing pear trees in recent years. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Mr Griffith said the per capita consumption of apples in Australia has remained “consistent and resilient”, with Hort Innovation statistics showing Australians consume an average of 7.82kg of apples each year.

“One of the challenges when you look at the numbers is it doesn’t necessarily talk to yield. We might see fewer trees but higher volume. That’s one of the challenges,” Mr Griffith said.

“We do know with pears in the past two years we have lost 15 per cent of all the orchards, they’ve literally put a bulldozer through them.”

Fruit Growers Victoria service manager Michael Crisera said growers across the apple sector have removed or planted new trees in reaction to seasonal conditions and market demand.

He said some pear producers had removed trees in favour of planting apple varieties.

“I’m not sure why the Hort Innovation data has captured that whether it’s from an ABS census but it’s probably not as accurate as what an industry census would be, and that’s where our real weakness is as an industry,” Mr Crisera said.

“We don’t have the resources and growers aren’t as willing to come forward. APAL has started on the right foot with that, and it is tough getting that info out of growers voluntarily.”

Mr Crisera said understanding “what we grow, and the amount” was important both for growers and industry broadly.