The 2013/14 Washington apple crop forecast has been revised downwards, partly as a result of heat stress suffered by orchards in August. The latest storage report, based on grower feedback, shows a projected volume of 113.2m cartons, down on last season’s record-breaking crop which topped 128.5m cartons.
Weather conditions have been favourable in October, allowing apples to colour up well. Charles Pomianek, director of the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, told The Produce News that with the exception of a few later varieties, harvesting was practically over. “Movement has actually been very good,” he said, adding that the transition from old-crop to new-crop apples had been orderly, with stocks clearing out well.
Pomianek said that as of 27 October, a total of 15.4m cartons had been shipped, compared with 17.6m cartons in the previous year and 14.2m cartons in 2011.
