Apple Exports

Apple Exports. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The USDA has recently released the latest figures for apple exports and Mark Seetin, USApple Director of Industry and Regulatory Affairs discusses the report. SEETIN: The big news for the apple industry is that the just released USDA figures show that apple exports set a record at 41.8 million bushels. That's up quite a bit. As a percentage it's about 6 or 7 percent above last years record level of 39.907 That translated into a lot more dollars for the U.S. apple industry and a boost for trade. SEETIN: And in terms of balance of trade the imports were probably around $140 – 50 million leaving a net balance of trade for apples, in other words if you take off the imports of about $647 million dollars. So the apples are contributing pretty substantially to our balance of trade. USDA has also just released revised 2009 numbers. SEETIN: It initially estimated it at 241 million bushels but they dropped that a little bit 236 million bushels. US Apple by the way at our August conference last year the growers put forth an estimate of 234.5 so they were only four-tenths percent off of what the final USDA figure was. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.