Washington apple exports down after late start

Washington apple exports for the 2022-23 shipping season are down 24% from a year ago, according to numbers released Feb. 16 by the Washington Apple Commission. These latest statistics were effective to Feb. 12, 2023.

As of Feb. 12, 181,000 cartons of Washington apples had been shipped this growing season to export markets. For the same date in the 2021-22 shipping season, 12,053,000 cartons were exported. Of 2021-22 volume, 1,361,000 were cartons shipped to Canada. Mexico received 3,033,000 cartons and 4,787,000 were shipped offshore. 

 The apple commission noted: “It's important to remember that we had a late start to the season and that comparing exports to domestic shipments needs to be done lightly.” Going into mid-February, 21.8% of the crop had been exported.