The first batch of Argentine peaches arrived in China in early November, and the export volume is expected to drop below 8,000 tons.

With the early harvest of cherries in Mendoza, a province in central-western Argentina, the country has officially begun the export season for cherries for the 25/26 crop year.

According to forecasts, cherry production in Río Negro and Neuquén provinces will decline, potentially causing exports to fall below the 8,000 tons of the previous season. Argentina's cherry exports are mainly concentrated in these two provinces, but both regions have experienced fruit drop in their orchards.

Some degree of fruit drop for certain varieties is a normal phenomenon, especially after a bumper year. However, the fruit drop issue this year is particularly severe, initially attributed to the impact of climate change.

Although the cold temperature accumulation in winter reached the average for this year, the quality of the cold temperatures was poor. Severe temperature fluctuations in May and July likely had a physiological impact on the fruit trees, ultimately reflected in the fruit set rate and fruit retention rate. Coupled with the effects of a warm spring and consistently high temperatures, the production season was brought forward, but with severe fruit drop. It is reported that the fruit drop has affected only the yield, not the quality, and most batches of cherries are of excellent quality.

As early as September 30, cherry test orchards in Jujuy province in northwestern Argentina began harvesting. However, this is still in the small-scale trial phase and has not yet resulted in large-scale market availability. Currently, early cherries from Mendoza province are already on the market in Argentina, but due to fruit fly issues, these cherries cannot be exported to the Chinese market.

According to the Argentine Comprehensive Cherry Producers Association (CAPCI), the first batch of cherries to China will be shipped from the Negro River Valley in the coming days. If harvesting starts on October 28, these cherries will arrive in China in early November (November 4).

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