Tree fruit continues to be big business in Washington state, according to a new economic study by the Washington State Horticultural Association.

The study found the tree-fruit industry contributes $5.6 billion a year to the state's economy, based on the 2003-04 crop, and accounts for about 140,000 jobs.

The study looked beyond the commonly quoted farm-gate value of apples, pears, cherries and soft fruits, which it said misses indirect impacts as the fruit goes to packers, processors, marketers and shippers.

Even broader impacts, it said, come in the form of purchases the industry makes from its suppliers in other sectors of the economy, income earned by fruit-industry workers and owners, and their individual purchases and tax payments.

This measure of economic output easily surpasses the much-touted biotechnology industry, the study found.

"The tree-fruit industry is the Boeing and Microsoft in Yakima and Wenatchee and the Okanogan," said Jim Hazen, executive director of the Washington State Horticultural Association, which released the study by professor William S Jensen this week.

Ivars Graudins, a supervising economist with the Washington Employment Security Department, said the impact reported in such studies depends on the author's assumptions. After a cursory review, Graudins said the study used standard models and reliable data.

The actual dollar figures seemed "on the high side," Graudins said, "but then again, last year was certainly a good year."

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