Supplies of apples on either side of the U.S. are differing. "Our East Coast apple supply is slowly winding down, but we will not gap on current varieties like Gala, Red, and even Fuji," says Brandon Ruppert of Cohen Produce Marketing.
In the East, Cohen Produce sources apples locally from seven growers and packers in Pennsylvania that represent a sizable portion of the state's industry, but it also receives apples from Virginia, New York, and Michigan.
However, on the West Coast, Ruppert notes there are still plenty of apples from Washington. "From the reports I hear, they will have an overlap of certain varieties well into when they start with their new harvest," he says, noting that varieties such as Red Delicious will overlap.
As for demand, domestically it has been strong for apples throughout. Export demand however has slowed since the Chilean season got underway. "Though some of that demand is coming back already so we've seen a little bit of an uptick in what's going on overseas," says Ruppert.
"There's still a lot of the growing season remaining and our apple growers remain optimistic that this year's crop will be within the average," says Ruppert.
Movement ahead of 2024 harvest
All of this leaves pricing more flexible than this time last year. "There are a lot of apples that still need to be moved before the new harvest starts," says Ruppert. "There is flexibility in certain varieties which we need to get the bulk of the supply out of storage so when we start again in the fall, it's a healthy market. Pricing is stronger in varieties such as Gala. In some respects, they are difficult to get with consistency, so you'll have to pay for them."
Looking ahead at the fall Pennsylvania apple crop, a month ago the outlook was optimistic about the crop following a strong bloom. "We are now getting a little nervous with the extensive heat wave that we've had here in the east and the overall lack of rain," he says. "There's still a lot of the growing season remaining and our growers remain optimistic that this year's crop will be within the average."
On the West Coast, there are reports that apple growers are trying to manage their orchards this season so that they produce a more manageable volume crop than last season. "I think the previous couple of years produced less volume and they wanted to get back to a crop that's closer to their five-year average in the West and overshot their target," says Ruppert.
For more information:
Brandon Ruppert
Cohen Produce Marketing
Tel: +1 (717) 975-9111
[email protected]
http://www.cohenproduce.com/