war october 05

October 2005, World Apple Report Highlights

China Forecast Suggests Smaller World Apple Crop in 2005
The total world apple crop is likely to be smaller in 2005 than it was in 2004, especially if the early forecasts of a smaller Chinese crop is realized. Supplies in North America are expected to be down while increases in Western Europe will be offset by decreases in the rest of Europe. Price recovery will not be as strong as normal in Europe because of the large carryover of old season crop that was still to be sold.

Special Review of the 2004-05 Marketing Year: A Struggle to the Bitter End
The 2004-05 season ended up as a struggle in almost every major producing region. Even regions that had smaller crops found themselves gradually dragged down by the overlap of large stocks in both Europe and North America. Prices for processing apples continued to languish. However, the biggest debacle occurred in Europe. A special section examines what caused the European price debacle in the summer of 2005.

Granny Smith: Grand Old Lady
The Granny Smith variety has defied the odds in recent years. While the prices of old favorites like Red Delicious and Golden Delicious have languished and many plantings of these varieties have been removed, new plantings of Granny Smith have continued and prices have held reasonably firm. This article explains the factors that allowed the Granny Smith variety to prosper. However, it warns that prospective increases in supplies as new plantings mature could threaten the recent rosy picture.

Special Statistics
Granny Smith: Production in the EU-15 and United States, 1980-2005 (chart).
Interseasonal Price Comparisons at wholesale (table).
EU-15: Fresh Apple Imports from the Southern Hemisphere, January-June 2004 and 2005 (table).
United States: Per Capita Consumption of Fresh Apples, Bananas and Oranges, 1987-2003 (chart).

The authoritative guide to the world apple business today.

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