The major cherry producers in recent years have been Turkey, the United States, Iran, Chile, Uzbekistan, Italy, and Spain.
Historically, Italy was the main producer of cherries from the 1960s to the 1990s, contributing about 15% of global production, followed in order by France, Romania, the United States, and Germany.
Subsequently, however, it lost its primacy, although it is still considered one of the main producers.
Since 1991, in fact, it has been Turkey that has earned the top position, with a share of over 23% of the global cherry production.
Other countries, on the other hand, have employed a different strategy.
By using high-quality cherry varieties resistant to pests and diseases, Canada, Argentina, and Chile have increased their export market share.
Poland has also increased its export potential to EU countries, thanks to its favorable climatic conditions.
However, the record is held by Chile, considered the world's largest cherry exporter, contributing 22.2% of global exports.
The United States also holds a prominent position in the cherry export sector, which it has maintained since the 1990s.
Global cherry exports, which totaled 2.9 billion USD (circa 2.7 miliardi di Euro), were dominated by seven countries: the United States, Hong Kong, Turkey, Spain, Uzbekistan, and Greece, which together account for almost 86% of global trade.
How to know what will happen in the future? Researchers at Ataturk University (Turkey) attempted to make predictions about cherry production for the period 2024-2028, using a FAOSTAT dataset that contains 63 years of production data, from 1961 to 2023.
The research results indicate that global cherry production is expected to reach an average of 3.08 million tons from 2024 to 2028.
Turkey's average production is expected to be 790 thousand tons, a figure that represents 26.06% of global production.
According to the reported estimates, Chile will instead produce an average of 550 thousand tons, which is 18.15% of the global total.
The third place will likely be claimed by the United States, with an average production of 341.8 thousand tons and a global market share of 11.27%.
The top ten will then presumably be composed of Uzbekistan (8%), Iran (4.58%), Spain (3.78%), and Greece (3.53%).
There will also be Italy (2.94%), Syria (2.18%), and Poland (2.10%).
Finally, the projected production from all other countries will contribute 17.40%.
When exporting cherries, quality, variety, and export price are all important factors to consider.
The United States and Chile generate the highest revenue from cherry exports.
If the countries that are currently leaders in cherry production choose to continue investing in cherry production, with products that have a longer shelf-life and higher quality, they will surely gain a competitive advantage.
In a market structured as an oligopoly, it will be the countries that take greater precautions against climate change by allocating more resources to cherry production that will be a step ahead in the market.
Source: Ertek Tosun, N., Uzundumlu, A.S. Cherry Production Forecasting of Leading Countries in 2024–2028. Applied Fruit Science 67, 67 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-025-01290-1
Image source: Good Fruit Magazine
Melissa Venturi
University of Bologna (ITA)
30 May 2024
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