Over 75 per cent of Washington State’s record apple crop is sitting in cold storage, according to the Yakima Herald.
Citing figures from the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, the Herald claimed that 150m cartons were packed this season, up on the previous record packout of 129m cartons recorded in 2012. However, just over 35m cartons have been sold to date, leaving 115m cartons in storage.
Ongoing industrial action at ports across the US’ West Coast has significantly impeded export programmes out if the state, with operations at the Seattle and Tacoma ports shutting down completely.
As a result, Jon DeVaney, president of the Tree Fruit Association, said a number of packhouses in key production areas such as Yakima and Wenatchee have been sending their apples to processing facilities to make sauces or juice.
The packout volume falls just short of an early season estimate, which put the crop at 155m cartons.
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