A significant increase in Mexican apple shipments are seen this season, while a small decrease in Canadian apple loadings are forecast.
Mexican Apple Shipments
The estimated 27 million 42-pound cartons are 20 percent larger than an average year.
The Chihuahua region is the leading Mexican apple producing and is expecting a crop of 23 million boxes this year, up substantially from its average of about 18 million cartons.
The total crop in Mexico is projected at 27 million cartons. Of that total, about 7 million cartons will be put in controlled atmosphere storage and 10 million will be put in conventional storage. The balance of the crop be marketed immediately.
Because Mexico never supplies export markets, the Mexican apple market will be flooded until January 2020.
However, U.S. apple exportersl are still expected to be sending fruit to Mexico. Each year, Mexico consumes about 38 million cartons of apples. This leaves about 11 million cartons this year for the U.S. and other countries to fill the need for more apples.
During the 2018 shipping season, the U.S. moved about 12.8 million cartons to Mexico, and Mexico is the biggest export market for U.S. apple exporters.
Since 80 percent of Mexico’s apples are golden delicious, the country produces very few galas. This presents opportunities for U.S. exporters to export a lot of the more popular galas to Mexico,
Canadian Apple Shipments
Canada is estimated to have 18.8 million cartons of apples this season, down 2 percdent from 201. Compared with the five-year average, 2019 production in Canada will be up 1 percent.
By Canadian province, apple shipments are forecast at:
- Ontario predicted to be down 11 percent to 7.3 million cartons, 2 percent below the 5-year average;
- British Columbia is forecast at 4 million cartons, 15 percent more than the 5-year average;
- Quebec apple output is rated at 5.3 million cartons, down 5 percent from the 5-year average;
- Nova Scotia apple estimate is 2 million cartons, up 16 percent from the 5-year average; and
- New Brunswick output is forecast at 144,000 cartons, down 12 percent from the 5-year average.
Mcintosh variety apples account for 26 percent of the Canada crop, followed by gala with 17 percent and Honeycrisp with 7.5 percent. U.S. apple exports to Canada in 2018 totaled about 6.8 million cartons.