US(WA): Smaller apple harvest wraps up with strong prices
The vast majority of Washington’s apple harvest is done and this year’s crop is a lot smaller than l…The vast majority of Washington’s apple harvest is done and this year’s crop is a lot smaller than last year’s. “Estimates vary between a low of 110 million bushels and a high of 115 million bushels,” says Mac Riggan with Chelan Fresh. This is about a 25 percent decrease compared to last year’s record-crop of 150 million bushels.
Struggling for size
“The biggest struggle this season is to meet the demand for 88s and larger,” added Riggan. The fruit size is quite a bit smaller this year while retailers prefer larger sizes. “We sell by the box, but retailers sell by weight. Larger size apples work better for retail when it comes to the ease of generating gross sales dollars.” Smaller apples on the other hand appeal to consumers looking for a healthier snack option. “This year’s sizing has resulted in higher competition with Michigan and New York as these states tend to have smaller apples by nature,” said Riggan.
Stronger prices
Apple prices are strong and driven by smaller supplies and excellent quality. For some varieties, like Gala, the price difference between last year and this year is as big as 50 percent. Fuji apple prices are very firm for the large sizes while prices of Honeycrisps are high because of their popularity. Riggan shared an overview of this year’s price difference as of Nov 1. for 100 ct WXF grade apples compared to one year ago.
| Apple variety | FOB increase vs. last year |
| Red Delicious | +5% |
| Golden Delicious | +20% |
| Granny Smith | +20% |
| Fuji | +25% |
| Gala | +30-50% |
| Honeycrisp | +5-10% |
Strong dollar challenges exports
Despite a smaller harvest, Riggan believes there is plenty of fruit available for the export market. “However, demand from abroad may not be as high this season due to a strong US dollar that makes our apples more expensive,” commented Riggan. “Mexico will open up in about two weeks. Washington obtained full access to the China market last year, although the Chinese customer has a strong preference for bigger size apples.”