W39: Cherry Update

In W39 in the cherry landscape, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects global cherry production to surpass 4.8 million metric tons (mmt) in the 2023/24 season, a notable 3% year-on-year (YoY) increase. The anticipated top-producing countries are Turkey with approximately 900 thousand metric tons (mt), China with 760 thousand mt, the European Union (EU) with 657 thousand mt, Chile with 502 thousand mt, and the United States (US) with 421 thousand mt.

The USDA expects Chilean cherry production to expand by around 31 thousand mt in the 2023/24 season due to new farms entering the market. Chilean cherry exports are also projected to surge by approximately 25 thousand mt to 440 thousand mt in the 2023/24 season. Global cherry exports increased by a remarkable 120% in volume over the past decade, with export value trending upwards. Chile is one of the countries that have driven global cherry exports during the period. Currently, Chile stands as the world's largest cherry exporter, accounting for 57% of market share. This is a significant improvement compared to two decades ago, when Chilean cherry exports constituted just 9% of global cherry shipments.

The Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA) reports that Chile’s fruit exports reached 2.54 mmt, valued at USD 5.97 billion free-on-board (FOB) from Jan-23 to Aug-23. Cherry exports amounted to 302.79 thousand mt, worth USD 1.82 billion FOB during the period, a surge of 6% YoY in volume and a significant 22% YoY increase in value. This indicates that cherries were the most shipped, accounting for 11.9% of the exports and a remarkable 30.5% of the earnings. Chilean cherry shipments were primarily destined for China, which accounted for a substantial 91% of the total value.

Lastly, German cherry growers faced significant challenges in the 2022/23 season, grappling with a notably reduced harvest. Germany’s cherry production reached 32.4 thousand mt in 2022/23, a decline of 15.9% YoY and a 2.8% drop from the ten-year average of 33.3 thousand mt. Germany’s cherries are cultivated across 5.7 thousand hectares (ha), but the cultivation of Morello cherries has been steadily decreasing. Currently, Morello cherries are cultivated in a 2.1 thousand ha area, a significant reduction of 680 ha (-30.7%) from 2013 to 2022. The Morello cherry harvest amounted to 7.8 thousand mt in the 2022/23 season, remarkably smaller than the 2021/22 yield of 10.2 thousand mt (-23.4% YoY). The 2022/23 Morello cherry harvest was hampered by unfavorable spring weather conditions and diminishing cultivation areas.