2020 Washington apple harvest estimated to hold steady at 134 million boxes

YAKIMA -The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) has

released its forecast for the 2020 Washington state fresh apple crop.

The 2020 forecast is for a crop of 134 million standard forty-pound

boxes of fresh apples. This is very close to 2019's 133.9 million box

crop.

"The 2020 Washington state apple crop looks to be similar in size to

last year's. Harvest is underway and growers anticipate being able to

meet strong consumer demand with an ample and high-quality harvest,"

said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA President. "Our members are growing large

crops, but with more varieties to choose from and while continuing to

raise the already high standards of quality that domestic and

international consumers have come to expect."

Consumers will have many varieties of Washington apples to choose

from. For the second straight year, Gala will be the most numerous

variety at 23%, Red Delicious is projected at 17%, followed by Fuji at

14%, and Granny Smith and Honeycrisp at 13% of total production. This

year, Cosmic Crisp is forecast to come in at 1.2% of the total crop

and Cripps Pink at 5%.

Organic apple production is forecast to be 16% of the total, or 21

million boxes. Up from 15 million boxes in the 2019 apple crop.

Although it should be noted that typically not all organic production

is ultimately packed and marketed as organic.

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 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 harvest

total.