Growers in Western Australia's south-west in particular are being forced to clear their trees to allow new fruit to mature, as a possible bumper crop makes farmers worry about a difficult season.
Mullalyup grower Tony Giumelli says ideal growing conditions throughout winter and spring have proven to be a mixed blessing as they expect to see three times the normal crop.
"We would typically finish thinning fruit mid January but we will be still be thinning towards the end of this month."
Mr Giumelli said he anticipated a crop "three times as big" as previous years, which could produce up to 1,000 tonnes of the pink lady variety.
"It's already been a challenging year in terms of growing, but it's going to make it more challenging to make a profit," he said.
While quality is expected to be good, growers are worried the flood of apples on the market may drop the price.
"Most growers have achieved pretty ordinary prices. If a lot of fruit is coming across from the west, we will see a softening in prices."
Mr Hines also said exporting internationally was becoming an increasingly difficult prospect as countries such as China, South Africa, and the US had boosted their own supplies.
source: abc.net.au
