Washington Apple Crop Huge, But Not A Record

The forecast for the 2016 Washington apple crop is 132.9 million standard 40-pound boxes of fresh apples, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA). This is up 15% over 2015’s 115 million box crop, but still down 6% from the 2014 record crop of 141.8 million boxes.

Jon DeVaney

Jon DeVaney

“Weather in 2016 has been favorable for the development of a high-quality crop with good color and storability. In addition, harvest has begun 1-2 weeks earlier as a result of those conditions,” said WSTFA President Jon DeVaney. “Washington apple growers expect to deliver a large crop of beautiful apples to consumers this year.”

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Consumers will have many varieties of Washington apples to choose from. While ‘Red Delicious’ remains the most numerous variety with a projected 25% of production, ‘Gala’ is close behind at 23%, followed by ‘Fuji’ at 14% and ‘Granny Smith’ at 13% of total production.  This year ‘Honeycrisp’ is forecast to come in at 7% of the total crop and ‘Cripps Pink’ at 4%.

This forecast is based on a survey of WSTFA members, and represents a best estimate of the total volume of apples that will eventually be packed and sold on the fresh market (excluding product sent to processor).

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Apple harvest typically begins in early August and continues into November, and as a result this forecast is still subject to several months of variable weather which can affect the final season’s crop total.

 

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