Good news for New Zealand: export growth of over 30% expected

15 Jan 2025
657

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


Cherry Times - All rights reserved

What to read next

Strong demand ahead of Chinese New Year as Guangzhou unloads 200 containers of Chilean cherries a day

Markets

23 Jan 2024

Chilean exporter Valle Maule is strengthening its position as an exporter of cherries to China. Cherry Times interviewed Oscar Loyola, Valle Maule's sales manager, who has been presiding over the Chinese market in recent weeks.

Activating natural plant defences for innovative biotic stress management

Crop protection

04 Feb 2025

Studied between Chilean and Israeli institutes have analyzed the function of pattern-triggered immunity in sweet cherry, induced by the fungal elicitor Xyn11/eix, was analysed. The results show that Xyn11/eix induces two distinct responses: cell death and ethylene increase.

In evidenza

Brassinolide protects “Tieton” cherries from cold damage during storage in China

Post-harvest​

26 Jun 2025

A study from Yantai, China shows that brassinolide application improves the storage of “Tieton” cherries, significantly reducing cold damage, weight loss, and degradation of visual and nutritional quality of the fruits during prolonged cold storage conditions.

Meda cherries tested in 12 European countries, first fruits harvested in the Netherlands

Varieties

26 Jun 2025

Meda cherries gain traction across Europe: trials in 12 countries, first harvest in the Netherlands, and over 1,200 hectares assigned worldwide. The project spans USA, Chile, South Africa and China, focusing on quality, earliness, innovation and agronomic sustainability.

Tag Popolari