Australian cherry shipments fell last week

Australian cherry exports totalled 1,076 tonnes on 15 December, down 15% from the same week last year, the Australian Cherry Industry reported. The season was reported to have started “very well” through 1 December. Rain in growing areas of New South Wales and Victoria then slowed trade in mid-December. Volumes are expected to resume an upward trend once weather conditions improve, supported also by demand for the fruit for the Lunar New Year. The 5,000 tonne target for the season remains unchanged. Source: DAFF; Fresh Intelligence analysis Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore are the main destinations for Australian cherries at the moment, followed by China. The quality of the export fruit – large, firm and very sweet – has always been in strong demand in Asian markets. Australian exporters have committed to achieving the quality levels needed to position Australian cherries as the best in their export markets, even when there are large quantities of cherries from other ...