The USDA has released a report on the current German stone fruit situation. The total German cherry production for marketing year (MY) 2019 is estimated at 62,200 MT – an increase of 3.4 percent compared to MY 2018 and 30 percent compared to the historical (2009-2018) ten-year average. Germany is the third-largest importer of cherries in the world after China/Hong Kong and Russia.
From 2009 to 2018, between 50 and 77 percent of the cherries consumed in Germany were imported, with the majority of imports originating in other EU-28 member states. For 2019, imports of sweet cherries are expected to remain high; opportunities for U.S. sweet cherries are best in August/September, after the German domestic growing season.
For the full report on German stone fruit, please click here.