Fresh Apple Inventories Dip Below Five-year Average

Fresh apple inventories continue to remain below the five-year average and the level of a year ago, according to the U.S. Apple Association’s (USApple) nationwide survey of apple storage facilities. As of Feb. 1, U.S. fresh holdings of 59.6 million bushels were 2 percent under both last year’s level and the five-year average of 60.9 million bushels.

Fresh controlled-atmosphere (CA) holdings on Feb. 1 were 1 percent lower than 2007 and 2 percent lower than the five-year average. On a regional basis, fresh holdings in the Northeast were 1 percent higher than 2007 and 5 percent higher than the five-year average. Southeast fresh holdings were 46 percent lower than last year and 50 percent below the five-year average. In the Midwest, fresh holdings were down 39 percent compared to 2007 and 26 percent lower than the five-year average.

Fresh-market apples in storage on Feb. 1 were 28 percent lower in the Southwest than in 2007 and 54 percent lower than the five-year average. Northwest fresh holdings were 1 percent higher than 2007 but 1 percent under the five-year average.

Total U.S. holdings of fresh and processing apples were 90.8 million bushels, 4 percent less than 2007 and 3 percent lower than the five-year average of 93.2 million bushels. Holdings of fresh-market and processing apples in CA storage on Feb. 1 were 79.5 million bushels, a 3 percent decrease from 2007 and 2 percent lower than the five-year average. Total processing apple holdings as of Feb. 1 were 31.2 million bushels, 6 percent lower than 2007 and 3 percent below the five-year average.

On a varietal basis, fresh-market Red Delicious holdings were 21.2 million bushels, a 13 percent decrease from 2007 and 10 percent less than the five-year average. Fresh Golden Delicious holdings of 7.9 million bushels were up 24 percent from 2007 but 11 percent lower than the five-year average. Fresh Gala holdings were 7.3 million bushels, an increase of 30 percent from 2007 levels and 38 percent greater than the five-year average. Fresh Granny Smith holdings of 7.1 million bushels were down 14 percent from holdings last year and 1 percent below the five-year average. Fresh Fuji holdings of 6 million were down 3 percent compared to last year’s holdings and down 7 percent compared to the five-year average. McIntosh holdings were 1.4 million bushels, up 11 percent from 2007 but down 2 percent from the five-year average. Fresh Empire holdings were 1.3 million bushels, a 14 percent decrease from 2007 levels and down 7 percent from the five-year average.

Movement of fresh apples from regular and CA storage totaled 14 million bushels during January 2008 – a decrease of 2 percent over January 2007 but 18 percent higher than the five-year average for January movement.

Movement of fresh-market apples from CA storage during January 2008 was 10.8 million bushels, 9 percent greater than the same time last year and up 25 percent from the five-year average. January movement of 6.4 million bushels of processing apples was 12 percent less than in 2007 and 4 percent less than the five-year average. Total January movement of fresh and processing apples of 20.4 million bushels was 5 percent less than 2007 but 10 percent above the five-year average.