Fresh Apple Movement Beats Five-Year Average
February 2007 movement of fresh apples from regular and Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage, 11.8 million bushels, was 7 percent lower than February 2006 movement, but 4 percent above the five-year average. Movement of fresh-market apples from CA storage was 10 percent lower than the same time last year, but up 3 percent from the five-year February average.
February 2007 movement of processing apples, 6.6 million bushels, was 3 percent below 2006 movement, but 4 percent higher than the five-year average.
March holdings
U.S. fresh holdings on March 1, 49.1 million bushels, were 4 percent below 2006, but nearly equal to the five-year average.
On a regional basis, March 1 fresh holdings in the Northeast were 4.5 million bushels, a 13 percent increase from holdings last year and 5 percent higher than the five-year average. Southeast fresh holdings were 4 percent lower than March 1, 2006, and 25 percent lower than the five-year average.
In the Midwest, March 1 fresh holdings were 3 million bushels, up 49 percent compared to 2006 holdings and 29 percent higher than the five-year average. Fresh-market apples in storage March 1 were 70 percent lower in the Southwest than 2006, and 79 percent lower than the five-year average. Northwest fresh holdings of 41.3 million bushels were 7 percent lower than March 1, 2006, and 2 percent below the five-year average.
Fresh CA holdings on March 1 were 4 percent lower than holdings in 2006 but nearly equal to the five-year average.
March 1 holdings of fresh-market and processing apples in CA storage were 67.7 million bushels, a 3 percent decrease from 2006 but less than 200,000 bushels above the five-year average.
Total processing apple holdings on March 1 were 26.6 million bushels, 1 percent lower than 2006 but 1 percent above the five-year average.
Total March 1 holdings of fresh and processing apples were 75.7 million bushels, a 3 percent decrease from the 77.8 million bushels in 2006, but only 300,000 bushels above the five-year average of 75.4 million bushels.
Fresh holdings by variety
Fresh-market Red Delicious holdings on March 1 were 20.8 million bushels, an 8 percent increase from 2006 and 1 percent more than the five-year average. Fresh Granny Smith holdings of 6.9 million bushels were up 6 percent from 2006 and 25 percent above the five-year average. Fresh Golden Delicious holdings of 5.3 million bushels were down 38 percent from 2006 and 31 percent lower than the five-year average.
Fresh Fuji holdings of 4.8 million bushels were down 7 percent compared to last year and 3 percent less than the five-year average. Fresh Gala holdings were 4 million bushels, down 4 percent from 2006 levels but 25 percent greater than the five-year average. Fresh Empire holdings were 1.2 million bushels, a 29 percent increase from 2006 levels and 3 percent above the five-year average. March 1 McIntosh holdings were 892,000 bushels, up 17 percent from 2006 but down 14 percent from the five-year average.