AgriAuditor Research · September 2026
The Germany Import Gap Report 2026
Which crops Germany buys from abroad, and which of those gaps German land could actually narrow.
Report scope and source snapshot
Net imports are imports minus exports for the 2023 FAOSTAT Trade snapshot, taken on 2026-07-05. Figures are whole kilotonnes and cover the twenty largest German gaps, one row per FAOSTAT commodity.
Key findings
- The twenty largest gaps total 13.8 million tonnes. Roughly 10.0 million tonnes sit in crops German conditions can grow, and 3.8 million tonnes in crops they cannot.
- Soybeans are the largest single gap at 3.6 million tonnes, and one of the few very large ones German land can genuinely narrow — the growing area in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria has been expanding for years.
- Rye and triticale appear as net imports even though Germany is among the world’s largest producers of both. That points to grade and seasonal timing rather than any limit on what the land can grow, and it is the kind of gap worth interrogating before assuming a planting opportunity.
- Coffee and cocoa are large gaps that mean something different. Germany is a major roasting and chocolate-manufacturing centre, so those tonnes are processing input for re-export, not unmet domestic demand.
The twenty largest German net crop imports
| Crop | Net imports | Can German land close it? |
|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | 3.6M t | Growable in Germany Grown in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria; the national area has expanded steadily. The largest gap on this list that German land can genuinely narrow. |
| Maize (corn) | 2.3M t | Growable in Germany Widely grown, though much of the crop is silage for fodder and biogas. Grain maize suits the warmer south and west. |
| Bananas | 1.0M t | Outside the climate envelope Tropical. Not viable in German field conditions; glasshouse production would not approach this volume at any realistic cost. |
| Coffee (green) | 839k t | Outside the climate envelope Not viable. Germany is one of Europe’s largest coffee roasting and re-export hubs, so this figure reflects processing input rather than domestic consumption. |
| Tomatoes | 725k t | Growable in Germany Viable under glass and already produced commercially. Competing with Spanish field and Dutch glasshouse supply is an energy-cost question, not a climate one. |
| Cucumbers & gherkins | 596k t | Growable in Germany Viable under glass, with established production in Lower Saxony. The same energy-cost trade-off as tomatoes. |
| Apples | 507k t | Growable in Germany Strongly viable — Germany is a major producer, with the Altes Land and Bodensee regions. The net figure reflects variety mix and out-of-season supply rather than any climatic limit. |
| Oats | 481k t | Growable in Germany A cool-season cereal well matched to German conditions and long grown here. One of the clearest re-shoring candidates on this list. |
| Watermelons | 445k t | Outside the climate envelope Marginal. Needs more accumulated heat than most German seasons supply; possible in the warmest southern sites in good years, not as reliable commercial supply. |
| Oranges | 431k t | Outside the climate envelope Not viable. Citrus needs a effectively frost-free winter that no German region offers. |
| Chilli peppers (fresh) | 415k t | Growable in Germany Viable under glass alongside tomatoes and cucumbers; not a field crop at this latitude. |
| Cocoa beans | 399k t | Outside the climate envelope Not viable. Germany is one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers, so this is manufacturing input, not a consumption gap. |
| Grapes | 330k t | Growable in Germany Germany has substantial vineyard area, but it is overwhelmingly wine grapes. The import is table grapes, which need more heat than most German sites give. |
| Triticale | 285k t | Growable in Germany Widely grown in Germany and well suited to the climate. A net import of this size is worth interrogating — likely feed-quality and timing rather than any growing limit. |
| Sunflower seed | 276k t | Growable in Germany Viable in the warmer east and south, and the area has been expanding. A realistic substitution candidate. |
| Rye | 245k t | Growable in Germany Germany is among the world’s largest rye producers, which makes a net import notable. Points to quality grade or seasonal timing rather than capacity. |
| Lemons & limes | 239k t | Outside the climate envelope Not viable, for the same reason as oranges. |
| Peaches | 231k t | Outside the climate envelope Marginal. Small quantities ripen in the warmest Rhine and Palatinate sites; frost risk at blossom makes commercial supply unreliable. |
| Lettuce | 213k t | Growable in Germany Viable in field and under cover, already produced at scale. The gap is largely winter and shoulder-season supply. |
| Avocados | 162k t | Outside the climate envelope Not viable outdoors. Subtropical, frost-intolerant, and far outside the German climate envelope. |
Methodology and limitations
- Net imports are imports minus exports from the FAOSTAT Trade bulk, rounded to whole kilotonnes.
- One row per FAOSTAT commodity. Cultivar rows that share a parent commodity’s figure are folded in, so an oat gap is reported once rather than five times.
- Cauliflowers with broccoli, and mangoes with guavas and mangosteens, are commodities FAOSTAT reports combined. They are labelled as combined rather than attributed to one member.
- Germany is a large food-processing and re-export economy. A net import figure is not the same as unmet domestic demand, and for coffee, cocoa and bananas it mostly is not.
- The growing-condition column is an editorial assessment of German conditions, not a model output and not a recommendation. It says nothing about price, subsidy, labour, market access or whether a crop would pay.
- A national figure cannot tell you about your field. Soil, drainage, frost pocket and local season decide what a specific site can carry.
FAOSTAT source items
Bananas (486) · Tomatoes (388) · Coffee; green (656) · Avocados (572) · Cucumbers and gherkins (397) · Chillies and peppers; green (401) · Oats (75) · Lemons and limes (497) · Watermelons (567)
Source: FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and livestock products · FAO database terms of use
Could your land close one of these gaps?
A national gap says nothing about a specific field. Screen your own coordinates against climate, mapped soil and management requirements to see which of these crops your land could actually carry.
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