Roughly halfway through the harvest, Washington looks like it may have one of its largest ever apple crops on its hands, if not a new record.
Washington’s apple industry is currently predicting a 109m bushel (2.08m tonnes) harveset, compared to its record of 109.2m, reported The News Tribune.
The massive harvest is in stark contrast to other apple producing states in the US. Frosts have savaged production in New York and Michigan, with the latter’s crop reduced by up to 90 per cent.
Combined with lower than normal crops from a number of other global producers, wholesale prices for Washington apples are booming.
“In a more ordinary year, Washington produces about 50 to 60 per cent of the nation’s apples,” Rebecca Lyons of the Washington Apple Commission told the Tribune. “This year it could be 77 per cent. This is absolutely a great year to be a grower in this state.”
US wholesale prices are up 16 per cent on the same time last year, Lyons said. Red Delicious are selling for US$25 a bushel, while Honeycrisp are selling for US$60 a bushel. Individual apples are selling for US$1 each in some US stores, the Tribune report said.
The high prices and short supplies of apples are also reportedly pushing up demand for pears, which are filling the gap for some consumers.
On the international market, buyers may get some relief in coming weeks as the Chinese apple season gets underway. The Asian giant’s production is forecast by some in the industry to increase 20-30 per cent on last season.
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