The U.S. Apple Association, a trade group, called for free access to overseas markets on Thursday, as it reported that export sales for 2018 had plummeted to $854 million, down from $1.1 billion in 2017. “With exports and income down significantly, and a large harvest already beginning, these numbers express the dire need to resolve the trade conflicts as soon as possible,” said Jim Bair, chief executive of the group.
This year’s apple crop, estimated by the USDA at 253.1 million bushels, would be the ninth largest since recordkeeping began in the 1940s.
Farm-gate income for growers was $588 million for the 2018 crop, down 16 percent from the previous year. Export sales value was down 22 percent, and export volume fell 27 percent. “Canada and Mexico purchase nearly half of our apple exports, good for a contribution of nearly half a billion dollars per year toward a positive trade balance. We need — we must have — continued free access to those markets,” said Kaari Stannard, a New York state grower and chair of the trade group.
A year ago, the Gala apple displaced the Red Delicious as the most widely grown apple. Mark Seetin, U.S. Apple’s director of regulatory and industry affairs, said Honeycrisp was expected to surpass Granny Smith for fourth place in production this year and could move into third place in 2020. The top five apple varieties this year, based on production, are Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith. Red Delicious was the top U.S. apple for 75 years.