The Chilean cherry season comes with a now all too familiar ring to it - the “Chinese craze” to partake in the sales action of this very popular fruit, says Yanming Ding, who specialises in fresh fruits from South America for Valleyfresh. She describes herself as a “Chilean girl with a Chinese face”.
Yanming in the field with Chilean cherry growers.
Due to the varying weather patterns, the Chilean cherries growers say this season is starting slowly says Ding. “The volume at the beginning is very slow. This is because of the rains and weather. The fruit trees did not have enough cold units during winter. However, at the end of the season the volume should be similar to last season if not higher. The crucial Chinese New Year will be later, in week five next year. We are therefore not as rushed because last year it was in January.”
Ding says they are looking forward to the main harvest season towards the end of the year for the famous Cherry Express shipments to reach China in the peak of the sales period before their new year. “The main season harvesting volumes is between weeks 48-52 when all the pack houses are full and all the Chinese people are here. It takes three to four weeks for the fruit to arrive in China. At the recent fair in Hong Kong, everyone was at the Chile stand looking for cherries.”
Welcoming for Chinese investors
“Last week I was on a cherry farm with a grower here in Chile. During every cherry season we see a lot of people from China who come to Chile. They are all over in the pack houses, and they are sharing with the Chilean people these two different cultures. They go to these pack houses and stay there for the cherry season and take care of the fruit they are buying for China. It’s very common. However, we see many Chinese investing in and buying pack houses and farms. This is risky because sometimes there’s a lot of Chileans who ask for advances and it’s very risky when the Chinese pay and they end up not getting any fruit. Every year is different, every season too. The Chinese people want to establish a base here in Chile by buying farms and packing houses. However, the investment is not cheap and takes years to realise returns.”
Asian markets popular
“I’m a Chilean girl with a Chinese face. I was born and raised in Chile by my parents who are from China. Valleyfresh is a company from Australia with offices around the world. I source fruit from across South America, with more coming from Colombia and Ecuador, as well as Argentina, Peru and Chile. We source avocados, grapes, cherries - we have all the different fruit types. Our main customers are in the Asian countries of Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, etc.”
Ding says they ship several containers full of fruit around all of Southeast Asia and the Middle East. “One of our main volume destinations is to Indonesia, we have a commercial office there. This market is increasing every year, with a large population.”
For more information:
Yanming Ding
Valleyfresh
Tel: +56-9-8502-8141
Email: [email protected]