Jan 10, 2023

Apples in storage tracking 4.5% lower than 2022

Fresh and processing apple inventories are reported lower this January from the previous January, according to a Jan. 10 report from the U.S. Apple Association.

Fresh and processing apples experienced declines, according to the report.

The total number of apples in storage on was 120.8 million bushels, 4.5% smaller than last January’s total of 126.5 million bushels and 10.8% less than the 5-year average for that date, according to the USApple report.

Fresh apple holdings this January totaled 84.2 million bushels, 4.1% less than the inventories reported for January 2021 and 12.5% lower than the January five-year average.

Processing holdings were 36.5 million bushels, 5.5% less than the previous year on Jan. 1 and 6.4% smaller than the January five-year average.

Washington lower, Michigan higher
Washington’s total storage declined from 99.3 million bushels in 2022 to 91.9 million bushels in 2023. This compares to the 109 million five-year average.

Michigan again gained in apple holdings. On Jan. 1, the state recorded 9.9 million pounds in total storage, up from 6.3 million pounds the previous year and higher than the 6.7 million bushel five-year average.

New York was 8.7 million bushels for 2022-23 compared to 10.5 million the previous year and lower than the 10.0 million five-year average.

Pennsylvania’s storage was 5.1 million bushels in 2022-23 compared to the previous year’s 5.9 million bushels and higher than the 4.6 million bushel five-year average.

Virginia storage is 1.5 million bushels, down from 1.6 million bushels the previous year and lower than the 2.1 million bushel five-year average.

California’s inventories declined from 234,130 bushels to 155,845 bushels during the period. That compares to the state’s 296,121 bushels five-year average.

Though Oregon more than doubled its storage during the period, from 737,327 bushels to 1.7 million bushels, other states, including New Hampshire, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and Idaho, recorded storage declines. New Hampshire’s storage declined from 33,927 bushels to 2,810 bushels.

The report captures more than 95% of the national storage capacity, according to USApple.