U.S. fresh apple exports and holdings remain down

More News Top Stories
U.S. fresh apple exports and holdings remain down

U.S. fresh apple availability was reduced with a down crop in 2022. So, it comes as no surprise that the crop availability remains statistically low.

U.S. fresh apple holdings on May 1, 2023, totaled 40.2 million bushels, 2.3 percent less than the inventories reported last May and 3.5 percent less than the May five-year average, according to US Apple, in its latest report, released May 10.

U.S. apple exports are proportionately down more from last year than holdings. A US Apple chart show that in March 2023, fresh exports were less than three million bushels. In 2022, the volume was almost fouor million and the five year export average for March is about five million bushels.


Related articles: U.S. apple industry stats show reduced volumes


The March 2023 fresh apple imports are almost nothing, which is the same path as traditional numbers, given large domestic storage supplies. Historically, the U.S. market begins exporting apples in April, with a volume peak of almost two million bushels in July. Import numbers quickly drop as late summer domestic harvest begins.

In May 2022 holdings were 41.2 million bushels, with the five-year average for this time of year being 41.7 million. The five-year average for total fresh storage crop is 80 million bushels, far more than the 2022 or 2021 holdings figures of 68.2 million and 62.7 million, respectively.

In May, Washington State shows about 35 million bushels of fresh apples in storage, with 27.5 million of the total being in controlled atmosphere storage.

Michigan is a distant second, with 2.3 million bushels of fresh apples in CA storage this spring. Michigan indicates no apples in regular storage.

New York State ranks third, with 1.6 million bushels in CA and 306,000 bushels in regular storage.

Subscribe to our newsletter