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PROCESSORS OUTLINE CHALLENGES TO EASTERN U.S. APPLE INDUSTRY

KEARNEYSVILLE, W.VA. (March 21, 2001) - The apple industry in the Eastern U.S. has a "105 million bushel challenge," according to an official of the processing industry. Apple Processors Association (APA) President Paul Weller issued the challenge to fruit growers in West Virginia on March 21, noting that growers need to take part in an industry-wide effort to assure both a ready supply of low-defect fruit and new markets for apple products in an ever-increasing competitive retail marketplace.

Weller called the effort the "105 million bushel challenge," because most of the 105 million bushels of apples produced in the Eastern U.S. are used for processing into apple products. He spoke before an annual tree fruit school at the West Virginia Tree Fruit Research and Education Center in Kearneysville, WVA, on the future of the apple processing industry in the eastern U.S.

Weller cited production data from the U.S. Apple Association that approximately 254.2 million bushels of apples were harvested in the U.S. during the 2000 crop year, a 2.5 million bushel increase from 1999. Half of this production, he noted, comes from the far West -- mainly Washington State and California. Nationally, New York State and Michigan are vying for the second spot. That means that less than 40 percent of U.S. apple production is based in the East, coming from New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia - in that order. He noted that major apple processors in the East are fruit-deficient, and must import apples from other areas of the U.S. to maintain production lines.

Eastern growers face a challenge, he said, in assuring that they and their local apple processing firms realize a fair return on their investments, meet increasingly demanding government and consumer requirements, overcome product competition from non-fruit drinks and products, and maintain viable retail markets for apple products. Weller pointed out that of the East's 105 million bushels of fresh apple production, most goes for processing, with 65,000,000 bushels used for juice, 28,000,000 bushels for applesauce, and the remaining 12,500,000 bushels for other value-added products such as dried and frozen products.

Weller, an agricultural public relations and regulatory specialist, told growers that the Apple Processors Association has an on-going program designed to protect and enhance the apple industry, including:

Protection of Agricultural Chemicals: working with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and major food companies to ensure that critical crop chemicals are utilized in concert with Food Quality Protection Act guidelines.
Enhancement of Food Safety Standards: helping to write current language on apple product nutritional labels, and having FDA require "percent of juice" data on fruit juice labels.
Promoting Market Development : expending considerable resources in research and development, and test marketing apple products to consumers, as well as promoting its many uses as a nutritional snack.
Industry Education: sponsoring meetings with top government policymakers, regulators, consumer advocates, and business consultants to advise growers and processors on maximizing quality, quantity, and profit to ensure domestic and global supply.

Weller told growers that increased industry-wide vigilance will be necessary to assure a steady supply of low-defect fruit suitable for market. "As long as eastern apple producers step up to the plate with 100 million bushels or more, there will be an apple processing industry to help you market your produce and meet consumer demands," he added. "And for all of us, that's the 105-million bushel challenge."

Founded in 1987, APA represents companies that produce a majority of their quality apple products from raw fruit, providing a $270 million market for the nation's growers of fresh apples. For more information, contact Paul Weller, APA President in Washington, D.C. at 202/785-6715.
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