Aug 7, 2015

2015 Washington apple harvest predicted to be 125.2 million boxes

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) released its forecast for the 2015 Washington state fresh apple crop.

The 2015 forecast is for a crop of 125.2 million standard 40-pound boxes of fresh apples. This is down 10.5 percent from the 2014 record crop of 140 million boxes, but is still projected to be Washington’s third largest apple harvest just behind the 128.3 million boxes marketed from the 2012 crop.

The forecast also reflects the changing composition of the state’s apple crop. While Red Delicious remains the most numerous variety with a projected 25 percent of production, Gala is close behind at 23 percent, followed by Fuji at 13.7 percent and Granny Smith at 13 percent of total production. This year Honeycrisp is forecast to come in at 7 percent of the total crop, which would move it past Golden Delicious to become the fifth-ranked variety by production volume in Washington state.

“Consumers can expect to enjoy an ample supply of delicious Washington apples this year,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA president. “Washington apples are prized around the world because of our growers’ commitment to quality and responsiveness to consumer tastes, and the size of our crops are growing to meet this demand.”

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