LANSING, Mich. – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the USDA recently announced the opening of a fast-track export channel for U.S. apples to Indonesia, a move that brings new opportunities for apple growers, including those in Michigan.

“Michigan’s apple industry has taken part in trade missions to southeast Asia, and that countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore have traditionally been pretty good markets for apples,” Diane Smith, Michigan Apple Committee executive director, told Farm World. “Historically, Central America, the Caribbean and Asia have been strong markets for Michigan apples.”

The top 10 apple-producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio and Idaho, according to Iowa State University’s Agricultural Marketing Research Center. (Ohio Apples, the state’s apple industry advocacy group, was unavailable for comment.)

“We need Washington to export 30 percent of their crop just to keep the domestic market on an even keel,” Smith said. “So anytime that we have opportunities to advocate for them on the federal level, we always do that, because we do want them to have healthy export markets. New opportunities like that are always going to be advantageous for us, even if we don’t export there.”

According to the Michigan Apple Commission, Michigan has more than 17.6 million apple trees covering 38,000 acres on 850 family-run farms. While most benefits will go to Washington State’s apple exports, Smith said Michigan will still see a trickle-down effect.

When asked how this announcement will impact other Midwest apple producers, she said, “Even though the agreement with Indonesia will mostly impact apple exports from Washington State, other apple-producing states will benefit in terms of maintaining a healthy domestic market.

“Washington needs to export approximately 30 percent of their crop annually to keep domestic opportunities open for other states,” she added. “Strong export markets also benefit the U.S. economy as a whole.”

According to Iowa State University’s Agricultural Marketing Research Center, the United States is the second largest apple producer worldwide, behind China. U.S. production is followed by Poland, Italy and France. The United States grows approximately 200 unique apple varieties.

The top 11 varieties in the U.S. are Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, McIntosh, Rome, Cripps, Pink/Pink Lady and Empire, according to the U.S. Apple Association. The United States has 5,000-plus apple producers who grow, on average, 240 million bushels of apples each year, growing apples on approximately 322,000 acres of land.

The USTR said apples grown in the United States support roughly 150,000 jobs, and create almost $23 billion in economic activity. In 2023, the United States exported more than $925 million worth of apples to foreign markets around the globe.

Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative, said the restoration of the export market to Indonesia came after extensive engagement with the Indonesian government.

“The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to work with Indonesia to monitor implementation of this fast-track channel closely, and make sure that U.S. producers, growers, and exporters can continue to export U.S. products,” she said. “This will help support American jobs across the country, especially in our rural communities.”