Kashmiri orchardists wary as record Washington Apple yield projection emerges

Srinagar, Aug 20: The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) recently released its forecast for the 2025 Washington state fresh apple crop, indicating a bumper crop, a projection that has put apple growers and traders in Kashmir on tenterhooks.

WSTFA represents the growers, packers and marketers of Washington apples, pears, and sweet cherries. As per WSTFA, the crop is estimated at 142 million standard forty-pound boxes of fresh apples.

Reacting to this projection, Chairman, All Kashmir Fruit Growers cum Dealers Union, Bashir Ahmad Basheer, painted a grim picture of the situation. “More the production, more would be the supplies of this foreign variety into India and other markets. Washington Apple is our biggest challenge among all overseas varieties, said Basheer.

He added that in the past, Washington Apple has cannibalised the market share of Kashmiri apples in key fruit hubs in India including Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Amid projections of a bumper Washington Apple, the forecast is expected to match the previous record harvest for the fresh apple crop. However, as per WSTFA report, growers in the US have reported that labour shortages and market conditions may drive down the actual number of harvested apples.

“The apple forecast is based on a survey of WSTFA members and represents the best estimate of the total volume of apples harvested in 2025 that will be packed and sold on the fresh market,” said the WSTFA release. “The estimate excludes apples sold to processors. Apple harvest typically begins in August and continues into November. As a result, this forecast is still subject to several months of variable weather, labour supply, and market conditions that can affect the final harvest total,” it further adds.

Besides uncertainty looming over the fate of Washington Apple this year, the KVFGDU president is hopeful that as promised, the Central government will enhance duty on Washington Apple, thus increasing the competitiveness of Kashmiri apple.

“The Union Agriculture Minister has promised us that a cap for the sale of these apples in India will be enhanced to Rs 80 per kilogram from the existing Rs 50 per kilogram. With the transportation and other overhead charges, this foreign apple will eventually be available in India at no less than Rs 120 per kg,” said Basheer. He said another rumour in the market that duty on abolishing duty on Washington Apple “will prove to be a death knell for Kashmir’s yield.”

Notably, growers in Washington have faced a record drought in delivering a high-quality crop across all varieties. Cosmic Crisp (WA-38), developed by Washington State University specifically for Eastern Washington’s growing conditions, continues its meteoric rise in popularity just five years after its introduction in 2020, says WSTFA. For the first time, it enters the forecast as one of the top five varieties.