(The Center Square) – Washington, which exports more apples than any other state in the U.S., has seen a 21.2% decline in apple exports this year, according to the Washington Apple Commission’s June newsletter.
As of June 18, Washington had exported 18,405,000 cartons of apples, which is about 4.5 million fewer than the 23,371,000 cartons the state had exported by that same point last year.
So far this year, 7,785,000 cartons of the fruit have been shipped to Mexico and 3,254,000 have gone to Canada, accounting for some 60% of exports. The remaining 7,785,000 cartons of apples have been shipped to other nations around the globe.
Fewer apples going out doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a bad year for the Evergreen State’s growers.
“It’s important to remember that we had a late start to the season and that comparing exports to domestic shipments should be taken with a grain of salt,” a news release from the Washington Apple Commission said.
About 23% of the state’s apple crop has been exported this year, the report said.
Farmers harvest between 10 billion to 12 billion apples in Washington each year, according to the Washington Apple Commission’s website.
Apple production has fallen in Washington over the last few years due to a variety of factors, including a June 2021 heat wave that damaged large amounts of the fruit and negatively impacted the sizes and storability of the remaining fresh apples, Farm Credit East reported earlier this year.
