Neuquén (Argentina): 50% growth with record production at 1,600 tonnes

07 Feb 2024
1897

External placements of cherries in Neuquén this season amounted to 1,600 tonnes, a figure that represents a growth of around 49% compared to the previous year and a jump of 58% if one considers the average export volume of the last five seasons.

Good weather conditions in the Upper Valley region made it possible to achieve these export volumes. "It was a very good year. We had a high quality harvest and this was recognised by the market,' Aníbal Caminiti, director of the  Integrated Producers Argentinean Cherries Association  (CAPCI), told Más Producción.

Neuquén holds an important share in Argentina's cherry exports, averaging 22 per cent of the product's total external placements. This season's sales will generate foreign currency worth just over USD 4 million. In the province, the cherry harvest is over and exports are also finished. There are two key companies driving the foreign trade of this type of product in Neuquén: Vista Alegre and Pincen.

"On a national level, we can say that we are about to reach 6,000 tonnes of exported cherries. Until Friday, 5,100 tonnes had been exported," Caminiti noted. It should be noted that all of Chubut's exports have yet to be shipped. This exportable supply is for late cherries, which arrive on foreign markets when the fruit is very scarce.

"Late exports are also very important. The cherry that is shipped in March arrives on the Chinese market in April, a time when the supply drops considerably with the participation of local production under glass. But the volume peaks have already passed,' the CAPCI manager clarifies.

In this regard, it is worth mentioning that in international markets there are two 'shocks' per season when supply drops sharply. The first of these occurs in October and November, the first season in the southern hemisphere.

Many of the exports from the Río Negro Valley and Neuquén rely on this 'commercial window' to achieve high levels of profitability. The other 'hit' occurs in March and April, when the late exportable supply arrives from the southern region of Patagonia (Chubut and Santa Cruz).

Chile, the world's largest exporter of cherries, enters the markets early and achieves high levels of profitability; however, for the time being, it does not have the necessary volumes to supply the international market with late cherries.

Read the full article: Más Producción


Cherry Times - All rights reserved

What to read next

Record cherry crop in the Pacific Northwest, but farmers face a bitter season

Production

04 Sep 2025

Despite a high-quality and abundant harvest, cherry growers in the Pacific Northwest end the season with losses: labor shortages, high supermarket prices, and weak demand have strained producers in Oregon and Washington, two of the leading cherry regions in the US.

Quality and quantity from South America: Chile and Argentina prepare for Chinese New Year

Markets

06 Dec 2024

China, which buys over 90% of Chilean cherries, received the first sea container last week, and hundreds more are expected to follow. This is the best time for cherry shipments to reach China before the Chinese New Year (CNY) on January 29.

In evidenza

Bacterial canker of cherry in Chile: new INIA research on Pss adaptation

Crop protection

06 Mar 2026

In Chile, the world leader in cherry exports, an INIA study analyzes the evolution of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae in commercial orchards. The research highlights local adaptation and copper resistance as key factors for integrated management and sustainable production.

Tart cherries and sleep regulation: biological mechanisms and clinical evidence

Health

06 Mar 2026

Tart cherries, rich in melatonin, tryptophan and polyphenols, may improve sleep and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. A review of seven clinical studies analyzed effects on sleep duration, efficiency and biomarkers, with promising but not consistent results.

Tag Popolari