Apple Marketing--A Review of Economic Research, 1945-60

Introduction : Apples are produced commercially in 34 States in the United States. The four main production areas are the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the New York-New England area, and the Appalachian area. The Pacific Northwest produces the largest volume and Washington State produces about one-fifth of the total commercial crop. Commercial production of apples in the United States has been increasing in the postwar years, especially since the mid-1950's. Although the recent increases in production have been about in line with population growth, per capita consumption has been lower than in the years just before World War II, and down considerably from the levels of the 1920's. In addition, there has been a trend toward consuming a larger part of the crop in the form of canned apples and applesauce and less in fresh and dried forms. These developments have accentuated the problems of handling the apple crop and finding profitable markets for it. The increased emphasis on research to improve economic efficiency in apple marketing has indicated the need for a review and digest of recent research on the economics of marketing apples. This digest covers three economic phases of marketing: (1) Demand-supply relationships, (2) merchandising and promotion, and (3) marketing costs and margins.