Apple export industry representatives in the US state of Washington have denied recent reports which suggested sales were down on last year and that 13m cartons of the area's apples remained unsold, insisting that the total volume of apples remaining in storage as of mid-April was closer to 10m cartons.
According to Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission (WAC), the latest figures compare favourably to those seen in 2004, when the state marketed a record crop of 104m cartons.
'The total storage difference between the 2004 and 2008 crop in April is only 3.6m,' commented Mr Fryhover. 'So what does this mean? The Washington apple industry has sold effectively the volume we have today remaining in storage.'
Mr Fryhover added that it was normal to have around 2m-3m cartons carry over to the following season, while improved post harvest tools are said to be providing better quality for increased sales later in the season. 'The carry-over this season into the 2009 crop could be similar to our norm, providing a stable transition to new crop,' he said.
The WAC's latest industry export report shows that domestic sales have finally caught up with those of last season and now exceed them by approximately 324,000 cartons.
According to the report, there were approximately 739,000 cartons of ‘shrink' in the month of March, with some fruits moving out of the fresh market. The numbers now indicate Washington has less than 10m cartons in storage, not 13m as quoted elsewhere.
Mr Fryhover also revealed that exports had been surprisingly resilient. 'Quite remarkably, the export numbers have been good,' he explained. 'Not including our local markets of Canada and Mexico, the increase in exports is 12.1 per cent off-shore, with an overall increase of 7.6 per cent over last season.'
Mexico has recently increased its import volume following the stabilisation of the peso, taking 1.8 per cent more in volume terms compared with last year. Similarly, western EU countries have been particularly strong for Washington apples, with volumes to the UK market up 11.3 per cent year-on-year.
Overall, export shipments increased by approximately 872,000 cartons between 16 March and 15 April against the same period of 2008.
'Export sales are looking to surpass last season and the export markets of Mexico, India, Europe and the Middle East will continue to stay with Washington through summer months,' insisted Mr Fryhover.
Comparing the 2004 and 2008 seasons at the same point in April, the volume of Washington apples in storage were as follows:
Red Delicious
2004 16,581,000
2008 16,327,000
Golden Delicious
2004 6,315,000
2008 6,653,000
Granny Smith
2004 5,143,000
2008 6,793,000 (smaller sizing)
Gala
2004 2,257,000
2008 4,118,000 (more plantings, 'exceptional' demand)
Fuji
2004 4,756,000
2008 5,316,000 (smaller sizing)
Source: WAC
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