The overall surface area devoted to cherry plantation in China is currently around 200,000 hectares. The annual production volume exceeds 1 million tons. There are open-field and greenhouse cherries.
The Chinese cherries that will enter the domestic market around Chinese Spring Festival [1 February, 2022] are still hanging on the trees. Cherry growers expect the domestic cherry price to exceed 300 yuan [47.31 USD] per 0.5 kg around Spring Festival. People in the industry are even more optimistic about the price. They think the price of domestic cherries can exceed 400 yuan [63.08 USD] per 0.5 kg.
Even though import cherries only cost several dozen yuan, domestic cherries are expected to cost several hundred yuan because domestic cherries are far fresher than import cherries. Most import cherries come from Chile. Sea freight takes more than 20 days, and even air freight takes a week. The domestic cherries practically fall off the tree into the hands of Chinese consumers.
Moreover, the domestic cherries that sell for several hundred yuan are all carefully nurtured by farmers. The product quality may not exceed that of the best import cherries, but domestic cherries can certainly rival them. And finally, the production volume of domestic cherries is much smaller, which pushes the price up as well.
Source: Agricultural Worldview