World: Hop acreage declines in 2022 for the first time since 2014

After eight years of continuous expansion, hop acreage declined in crop year 2022 for the first time since 2014. The decline was very minor, however, amounting to only 96 ha, or 0.2 % of total acreage. The total planted hop acreage worldwide was 62,802 ha.

These are some of the facts contained in the BarthHaas Report 2022/2023 that the world’s leading hop specialist presented during an online press conference on July 25.

Hop acreage in Germany decreased by slightly less than 16 ha in crop year 2022 and thus remained virtually unchanged. In the USA, the continuous expansion of the past 10 years went into reverse, leaving total planted area at 24,750 ha in crop year 2022. US hop acreage exceeds Germany’s by nearly 4,200 ha.

The crop volume harvested on that acreage was 106,584 mt. This was 19 % down year on year.

Average yield was 1.87 mt/ha in the USA, but only 1.67 mt/ha in Germany. The effects of climate change are becoming apparent.

The combination of very low crop volume and at best average alpha content resulted in an alpha volume that was far below any seen in previous years. The volume of alpha acid harvested was 10,835 mt, a year-on-year drop of approx. 3,300 mt.

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