A good bloom set and favourable weather conditions have made for good volumes and larger-sized fruit in British Columbia. But a large crop in Washington State has offered increased competition and made for lower prices.“Apart from some localized hail, the apple crop seems to be good in quality, colour, condition and size,” said Glen Lucas, general manager for the BC Fruit Growers' Association. “I've heard different things, but it seems like it's also going to be an above-average crop.” It's not clear how much above average this year's crop will be. What is clear is that quality will be good, meaning that this year's pack-outs will provide plenty of fruit for the fresh market.
Because acreage has remained steady over the last few years, this year's larger crop is attributed to better yields brought on by favourable weather. That weather has also made for larger fruit, which growers hope will offset some of the lower prices spurred on by increased competition from Washington State apples.
“The apple market seems to be picking up with steady movement, but we're competing against lower prices from Washington,” said Don Wescott of BC Tree Fruits Limited. “We're facing a lot more market pressure from Washington, because they have a record crop, so they're scrambling to move as much product as they can. So prices are down from last year, I'd say about a couple of dollars per box.” Larger fruit sizing is helping growers in this situation, as is the current exchange rate, which is helping Canadian exporters.
For more information:
Glen Lucas
BC Fruit Growers' Association
+1 250 762 5226