Australian cherry production is expected to fall by 15% and exports by 20%.

 

According to reports, in the past four years, the cultivation of cherries in Australia has been expanding, and more than 450,000 new cherry seedlings have entered the fruiting stage
.
Nevertheless, the severe weather caused by the La Niña phenomenon for three consecutive years has had a significant impact
on the growth of Australian cherry production and export trade.
Report analyst Ms.
Pea Piggott said that Australia's New South Wales and Victoria, as the main cherry producing regions, have suffered too much precipitation in the past year, which not only affected the production of cherries, but also increased the phenomenon of splitting fruit
.
As a result, exports of cherries from these two states decreased by 51% and 32%
year-on-year, respectively, last quarter.
It is reported that Australia has experienced La Niña for the third consecutive year this year, in addition to New South Wales and Victoria, Tasmania's cherry production has also been considerably affected, and these three states account for 81%
of Australia's total cherry production.

 

Reduced cherry production has led to a reduction in supply in the Australian domestic market, so an increase
in market prices is expected to be avoidable.
This phenomenon will be even more pronounced
especially during the peak Christmas period of cherry consumption.
From an export perspective, Ms.
Piggott believes that cherries as a high-premium fruit have always been an important export commodity for the Australian fruit industry, accounting for about 25% of total production, but exports accounting for 40%
of total cherry sales.
"The reduction in production of high-quality cherries suitable for international markets, combined with still high air freight rates for export transport, means that Australian cherries margins will face serious challenges this season".

Ms.
Piggott said that Australian cherries have always been positioned in the high-end market internationally, as a high-quality, scarce air borne fruit, Australian cherries are expensive in the international market, high quality and expensive price is also the label
of Australian cherries.

 

According to the report, all cherry-producing countries in the Global South are currently facing challenges, including increasing competition among suppliers, falling prices and rising production costs that have squeezed profit margins
.
Therefore, further improving production efficiency, focusing on improving product quality and diversifying target markets are the efforts
of cherry growers in these countries.
Of particular note is the fact that growers are experimenting with the development of early cherries, which are expected to achieve higher returns by bringing the harvest earlier to increase the time between the peak cherry market period
.

 

The report believes that on the whole, the consumption of cherries is still in the unsaturated stage, so the entire industry still has considerable room
for development.
Ms Piggett said the long-term demand for high-quality cherries in both the Asian and domestic markets, coupled with consumers' pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, provided opportunities for growth in the Australian cherry industry
.
"Australian cherries remain competitive in the international market, despite challenges such as production risks, rising costs and labour shortages.
"