A better harvest of cherries from Central Otago is expected to bring higher profits for growers this season.
The harvest started over a month ago, and there are still three weeks remaining.
The president of the Central Otago Fruit Growers Association, Kris Robb, stated that the quality of this season's cherries is exceptionally high.
“We’ve had mixed weather and there are some microclimates, so yields vary from orchard to orchard, but overall this season looks significantly better than the last one.
“If I had to guess, I’d say the region could produce around 5,000 more tons for export, with a growth of 30-40% compared to last season.”
According to Robb, the final count won’t be known for a few weeks.
“Better yields and strong demand in domestic and international markets mean that growers should achieve better profits.
While domestic demand began to decline, growers were ramping up exports for Chinese New Year at the end of the month.
Even Chile, one of the largest producers of cherries in the world, had an excellent harvest, with yields significantly higher than previous years.
Chile flooding international markets with cherries might lower prices, but New Zealand cherries have a competitive edge.
“Chilean cherries are shipped by sea and are a bulk product sold in supermarkets, whereas our cherries are a high-quality product sold to high-value clients, so we’re not directly competing, but we keep an eye on what they’re doing.
Tim Jones, CEO of 45 South, one of the country’s largest exporters of cherries, agrees.
“The weather has been unpredictable, so things have been a bit slow, but the next weeks will be very busy.”
Jones said the company, which owns about 250 hectares of cherries, is seeing fruit of excellent quality.
“The cherries are of great size and are crisp, as required by our export markets.”
“The export program is going very well, with over 70% of this season’s fruit destined for export, while the rest will supply the domestic market.”
Read the full article: RNZ
Image: SL Fruit Service
02 Apr 2025
Gene Drive could revolutionise biological control of Drosophila suzukii, the red-eyed midge that threatens cherry trees and small fruits. Find out how this advanced biotechnology could lead to the collapse of the pest's population.
22 May 2024
The new cherry variety is the result of years of observation and contrasting its characteristics. Since 2012, it has been attracting a lot of attention in the test fields for its good qualities in terms of hardness (80 Durofel) and sugar content above 20 °brix.
03 Sep 2025
A five-year study in Southern Russia, Volgograd region, showed how targeted irrigation and balanced nutrition improve vigor, uniformity, and commercial quality of sweet cherry seedlings, while optimizing water use in arid agricultural environments with limited resources.
03 Sep 2025
Asian parasitoid wasps Ganaspis kimorum have been released in the Netherlands to fight Drosophila suzukii, a pest damaging cherries, strawberries and raspberries. The WUR-led project aims to reduce crop losses through biological control and more sustainable farming.
