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December 2004, World Apple Report Highlights

Hunger for Information
Successful owners and managers in every field have a hunger for information. They also need an ability to hone in on the most relevant information and apply the pertinent lessons to their business. As the business world has become more complex, the acquisition, analysis and application of information has become more difficult, but more critical. Information in the apple business is especially critical in three areas, what products to grow or market, how to improve internal efficiency (lower unit costs) and what alliances to build for the future.

Asia's Role in Apples Changes Again
For the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, apple demand in Asia was the single largest driver of world apple exports. The series of economic crises that began in Thailand in 1997, broke that growth trend. In the meantime, China emerged as a major exporter of fresh apples to Asia, taking market share away from many of the world's largest exporters. Asia, through China, has now become a major exporter to the rest of the world. Apple exporters must now look outside Asia for future growth opportunities.

Concerns over European Competitiveness
At a conference in Lisbon in 2000, leaders of the European Union (EU) set a target of making the EU economy as competitive as those of the United States and leading Asian countries. An interim review panel headed by former Dutch prime minister Wim Kok found that the EU has made little progress in closing the gap. The panel recommended more focus by the EU on a few key objectives and greater commitment by governments of member countries on improved competitiveness. The addition of ten new member countries to the EU in May 2004 will make reforms even more difficult.

Special Statistics
Asia, Estimated Fresh Apple Imports, by Destination, 2002 and 2003 (chart).
Asia, Estimated Apple Imports, by Source, 2002 and 2003 (chart).
Price Contours by Size, U.S., mid-October 2004 and previous years (table).
Southeast Asia: Imports of Fresh Apples, 1985-2003 (chart).
China: Third Quarter Fresh Apple Exports, 1995-2004 (chart).

The authoritative guide to the world apple business today.

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