NASS: NW Fruit Production A Mixed Bag In 2020

For the Northwest fruit sector, 2020 was a mixed bag, with some producers reporting production drops, while others saw a bigger crop, and even a few records were repored.

Apple production in Oregon in 2020 hit 174 million pounds, up 18% year over year. Value of those apples totaled $39.2 million, up 1% from 2019’s figures. In Washington, apple production totaled 6.57 billion pounds, down 9% from the previous year, meanwhile the value of those apples hit $2.1 billion, up 7% from a year earlier.

When it comes to sweet cherry production, Oregon reported 55,270 tons last year, down 2% from 2019. The value of those cherries hit a record $134 million, up 78% year over year. In Washington, 199,960 tons of sweet cherries were grown in 2020, down 16% year over year. However, the value of those cherries increased 43% last year to record $562.

In Oregon, 209,800 tons of pears were grown in 2020, down 6%, with a value of $97.6 million, also down 6%. In Washington, pear production totaled 345,940 tons in 2020, up 6%, while the value of those pears reached $176 million, up 23% from 2019.

In Oregon, 153 million pounds of blueberries were grown in 2020, down 1% from the previous year. The value of those blueberries dropped 11% last year to $120 million. As for the Washington blueberry crop, it increased 2% last year, coming in a 166 million pounds. The value of the crop hit $217 million, up 42% from 2019 numbers.

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