01/19/06 Apple holdings by the variety

The first U.S. apple crop storage report of the New Year is showing positive trends for the apple industry. SCHAFFER: We're still seeing some strong demand coming nationwide. Our movement is ahead of the five year average, so we're seeing more apples disappear from storage then we have as far as an average figure. It's down below the 2004 numbers but that's to be expected because of the size of the crop and the great demand that we had in 2004. And Shannon Schaffer of the U.S. Apple Association is quick to notice, there are trends by variety that stand out. SCHAFFER: Red Delicious still remains number one in every category as far as its seeing the most movement. It's still by far the largest piece of our production in the United States, followed by Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. But despite Red remaining on the top of the charts, Schaffer says the amount of Red Delicious holdings continue to decrease. SCHAFFER: We're definitely seeing a reduction in the amount of Red Delicious that are in holdings in compared to previous years. Even in January 1 of 2005 we were over twenty-eight million in storage. And while traditional varieties are seeing decreased holdings, up and coming varieties are up when compared to the five year average. SCHAFFER: We are definitely seeing an increase in what is happening with Fuji in 2004. We just have just under seven million bushes in storage, where right now fresh storage is over eight million. So you're seeing a rise in Fuji and Gala and percentage wise a reduction in Red Delicious and Golden Delicious.