May 08

May 2008, World Apple Report Highlights

The Coming Battle over Sustainability
Sustainability in agriculture is an important concept that deserves rigorous debate. However, there is a real danger that the agenda on agricultural sustainability is about to be hijacked. Scientific Certification Systems has drafted a controversial proposal on sustainable agriculture standards. The Leonardo Academy has been assigned to solicit comments on that draft, after which the revised version would be submitted to the American National Standards Institute for its imprimatur as the U.S. standards for sustainable agriculture. However, the process of developing the sustainable standards has allowed for limited participation by farmers and other major players in the food chain. The draft takes a pro-organic, anti-technology stance that would serve much of agriculture poorly. The fruit industry needs to become active in the sustainability debate before it is faced with a fait accompli.

World Apple Processing Trends
This article reviews recent developments in apple processing around the world and projects future developments to 2015. In the last decade, apple processing has been dominated by the rise of concentrated apple juice (CAJ), in particular, by the flood of cheap CAJ from China. The present price recovery is unlikely to continue when world apple crops and CAJ supplies return to normal. Further expansion in CAJ supplies and export availability can be expected. Market development initiatives will be urgently needed in the future.

World Fresh Apple Trade Still Expanding
The rate of growth of world apple production has slowed since 2000, but trade in fresh apples has continued to grow rapidly. China alone has accounted for more than half of the increase in fresh apple exports. However, many Southern Hemisphere countries also export most of their increases in production. Fresh apples available for export could grow by 33 percent between 2007 and 2015. However, not all of that increase can be absorbed in apple producing countries. Thus, for the foreseeable future, it will be necessary to expand third country markets for fresh apple exports.

Special Statistics

Quantities of Apples Processed, Major Producing Countries, 2000-2007 (chart).
CAJ Produced and Exported, Major Producing Countries, 2000-2007 (chart)
United States: Average Price of Imported CAJ, 2000-2007 (chart)
Major Producing Countries: Exports and Imports of Fresh Apples, 2000-2007 (chart).
United States: Dietary Scorecard, 2005 (chart).
World Regions: Exports and Imports of Fresh Apples, 2005-07 (chart).

The authoritative guide to the world apple business today.

Belrose, Inc., 1045 NE Creston Lane, Pullman, WA 99163, USA
E-mail to: belrose@pullman.com
Tel: 509-332-1754
Fax: 509-334-5209