Washington apple shipments for the 2020 fresh crop are forecast at 134 million 40-pound cartons, nearly the same as the 2019 crop of 133.9 million cartons, reports the Washington State Tree Fruit Association of Yakima.
“The 2020 Washington state apple crop looks to be similar in size to last year’s,” Jon DeVaney, association president, said in a news release. “Harvest is underway and growers anticipate being able to meet strong consumer demand with an ample and high-quality harvest. 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.”
For the second year in a row, gala variety apples will be the biggest volume variety. Galas will account for 23 percent of the state’s crop, compared with 17 percent for red delicious, 14 percent for fuji, 13 percent each for Honeycrisp and granny smith and 5 percent for cripps pink.
The surging Cosmic Crisp variety will account for about 1.2 percent of the total crop.
Organic apple production is predicted to hit to 21 million cartons, or 16 percent of the fresh crop. That compares with organic production of 15 million cartons in 2019.
The fresh apple forecast is based on a survey of association members.