Second-largest crop pushes many apple prices lower

It’s been a tough sales season for the Washington apple industry. Not as tough as 2014, when a record crop tanked prices, but still bad enough that it’s “not sustainable,” a leading marketer says.Red Delicious apples, selling below break-even, are still 29 percent of the 2016 crop and need to be more like 15 to 18 percent, says Tim Evans, general sales manager of Chelan Fresh Marketing.Reds and Gala make up more than 50 percent of the crop. Prices of both have fallen to less than profitable levels because it’s the second-largest crop in history.The crop was forecast in early August at 132.9 million, 40-pound boxes. The estimate peaked at 137.9 million boxes on Dec. 1 and now is back down to 132.8 million as of May 1. The number is adjusted from the start of packing in August through the year-long sales season, primarily for storage cullage.National fresh apple stocks were 16 percent larger on May 1 than they were a year ago, according to U.S. Apple Association.