Fruit Industry Snapshot

Tree Fruit

• US Apple puts 2023 U.S. apple production at 256 million bushels, a 4.1% increase over 2022.  New York’s apple crop came in at 28 million bushels. Washington state’s crop was 160 million bushels. 

• Apple Exports have declined sharply from the 2014-15 season but have shown some recovery in the last year. Apples appear to be moving more slowly out of storage than last year.

• Apple prices at retail have increased 13% from 2020, but have lagged general food inflation, which is 19% higher over the same period. Meanwhile, the Producer Price Index for apples has risen 30%. 

Wine/Craft Beverage

• 2023 wine sales were reported to be lackluster, below the stellar 2020 and 2021 figures. This is more of a “return to baseline” after the COVID surge, rather than a downturn from longer-term trends, however, some growers describe it as “pre-COVID sales, with post-COVID costs.”  

Cranberries

• Last winter/ early spring was a tough frost season, followed by an excessively wet period during bloom. However, overall production, at 2 million barrels, came in just slightly below the 5-year average in Massachusetts. Pricing is stable to down slightly from last year.