US apple exports slip slightly in 2020-21

According to the USDA, the value of US apple exports totalled $899.3 million in 2021, down 2% on the previous season. Exports to Mexico, the biggest export destination for US apples, rose 23% to $303.3 million, while Canada, the second-largest export destination, bought $153.6 million, -6% from the previous year. Vietnam has rocketed up the charts in terms of export importance for US apples, buying $75.2 million for the year, +26%. A big success story in the Caribbean is the Dominican Republic, which imported $25.1 million worth of US apples (+10%).

Washington apples

Projections for the 2021-22 season are promising. “It may be reasonable to expect about 25% will be exported in 2021-22,” said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, Wenatchee. “The Red Delicious volume is the smallest since 1974 and the Golden Delicious volume is the smallest it’s been since 1968,” he said, noting that Red Delicious typically makes up about 50% of exports and Galas account for about 25%. “We are going to do everything that we have to in Mexico to protect our market share,” Fryhover said. “We’re going to ramp up activities in Canada, specifically in organics, Cosmic Crisp, and then we’re going to refocus on high-value offshore markets.” During the 2020-21 campaign, Washington growers exported about 25.9% of the state’s total fresh crop to 60 countries around the world.