Though the Chilean cherry harvest is still about a month away, early estimates for this season’s production are between 90-100 million 5-kilo cases. Nicolas Damm of Rio Blanco says in about two weeks, there should be a more official number from Chilean exporters for the cherry season.
For that harvest, there are several factors growers are watching. “The chilling hours during winter were probably not enough or just below the requirements for each variety. Bloom and fruit set are still occurring and with those lower hours, it’s been more uneven,” he says. There are different maturity levels on each tree which could mean a longer harvest. "If the spring is good, we should see a proper crop.”
In addition, it’s been a more humid, wet end to winter. “It’s not the same as El Nino in Peru for grapes but there are talks that the spring will be rainier which could cause less fruit or more condition issues,” says Damm.
Production could begin at the end of October/first week in November--a slightly earlier start to the season, though it’s undetermined if all the regions are at that same earlier stage. That’s also something to watch with Lunar New Year ahead. “Lunar New Year is also late this year,” Damm says. “The peak of the season should be the first half of January with arrivals in China. That’s still two to three weeks away for Lunar New Year.”
U.S. shipments could be similar
For shipments to the U.S. though, not much change is anticipated. With the increase in total production in Chile, the number will go up but that isn’t likely to affect the market share destined for the Asian market.
As for demand, it’s believed to be stronger this season. “Clients in general are nervous about what the volume will be like and want to secure the volumes. So we are getting contacted by more clients,” he says.
Pricing is also yet to be determined. “It could be similar to last season where on ocean arrivals, pricing went up as the weeks passed. It wasn’t necessarily that the earliest ocean arrivals had the highest prices,” he says, adding that there was also a delay in volume last year that impacted pricing. “I do think price will go up as we get closer to Lunar New Year and as we’re seeing in all products, quality is key. Good fruit with good quality and condition will get the better prices,” he adds.
With that much production, it’s going to put more emphasis on promotions in all markets. “We need fruit to keep moving,” says Damm. That said, while pricing hasn’t been determined on the “cherry express” ships to China, overall freight costs have gone down which could assist in promotional pricing.
For more information:
Nicolas Damm
Rio Blanco
Tel: +56 (2) 2307 4100
[email protected]
www.rioblanco.net