China’s imports set to drop 

China’s cherry imports are likely to slow down in 2021/22 due to reduced supplies from Chile, following a particularly strong 2020/21 season, according to a USDA report. Cherry production is estimated to continue rising to 600,000 tons in 2021/22 due to new fruit bearings.

Demand for cherries remains relatively strong and the per capita consumption will continue to increase in the foreseeable future, as production and cold-storage infrastructure improves. Due to the lack of pre-cooling and cold chain transportation, cherries are mainly transported by unrefrigerated truck in 5-kilogram containers with icepacks to provide some form of cooling during transportation. Lower cherry prices and e-commerce platforms have increased cherry consumption in 3rd and 4th tier cities.