Decline in Japan’s peach output

Japan’s 2018/19 peach crop was down 9.5% to 111,500 tons, as the hot June and July with little rainfall during the maturation period July reduced fruit size. The 2019/20 harvest is expected to be similarly impacted by the weather, with FAS/Tokyo forecasting a fall in output of 11.7% to 100,000 tons. In Western Japan, up to 10% of peach trees were damaged by a typhoon in autumn 2018, while frost and hail caused damage in the centre of the country.

In 2018/19, Japan’s fresh peach exports totalled 1,726 tons (worth US$16 million). The main destination markets are Hong Kong and Taiwan. With a smaller crop expected, exports are forecast to fall 13% in 2019/20 to 1,500 tons. The US is the only country that can export peaches to Japan.