"Since late December last year, Chilean cherries have arrived in large quantities by sea, causing selling prices to decline rapidly. After New Year's Day, prices continued to drop, and market demand remains insufficient," said Andy Xie from Shanghai Junli International Trade Co., Ltd., as he described the recent market situation for cherries.
"The current market price of cherries is lower than it was immediately after New Year's Day and approximately 30% lower than the same period last year. While there were signs of a possible recovery during this time, no actual improvement materialized. Traders have attempted to stimulate sales by limiting supply through delayed cabinet openings, but the results have been minimal."
According to Andy, the quality of the Chilean cherries currently available is generally good, and the lack of demand appears to be influenced by market rules and the balance of supply and demand. "One significant reason, as analyzed by the industry, is that peak cherry sales typically occur during the pre-sale period and before the Spring Festival. In previous years, pre-sales usually began in early January. However, because cherry prices started falling at the end of December last year, many traders made early purchases and delivered orders in advance to fulfill contracts. This created a longer gap between New Year's Day and the Spring Festival, extending the period of sluggish sales." Additionally, Andy suggested that a cautious consumption environment could be contributing to weak demand.
Regarding the outlook, Andy stated that the future trend remains uncertain. "Based on previous years, the sales peak typically begins two weeks before the Spring Festival, which would be after January 15. The market may improve then, but it is still unclear at this point."
In addition to the wholesale market, e-commerce has become an important channel for cherry sales. "Last year, we focused on the Douyin platform and achieved the top sales position on Douyin. We will continue this strategy this year. However, the response and sales so far have not been as strong as during the same period last year. We are hopeful that demand will improve in the coming weeks," he added.
Shanghai Junli Trading specializes in cherries, blueberries, and plums, with sales channels that include market stalls and e-commerce platforms.
