Spring-time frosts last season in Canada led to a significant decrease in apple and pear production for the 2012/2013 season. But a lack of similar weather events this year, is expected to return production for apples and pears to more normal levels for the 2013/2014 season.
For the 2013/2014 season, Canadian apple production is expected to jump 46 percent from the previous season, according to a report from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. That would result in production that's almost 125,000 metric tonnes more than last season's crop of 269,837 metric tonnes. Last season's production was down 80 percent from the 2011/2012 season.
Similarly, pear production is expected to increase over last season's haul. This season's crop is expected to reach 7,800 metric tonnes, which would be a 15.5 percent increase over last season's production of 6,754 metric tonnes. As a result of increased production, imports for both apples and pears are expected to decrease from the previous year, with 22 percent and three percent declines in imports for apples and pears, respectively.