This year's Spanish cherry campaign will start with a slight delay of around ten days. Extremadura will be the first region to start harvesting around May 10-15, according to the Fepex Committee, which recently held a meeting attended by heads of the main production areas, who also welcomed the opening of the Chinese market for export.
The start of the season will be delayed by between 7 and 10 days in the main production areas: Extremadura, Aragon, Catalonia, and Alicante. Extremadura is expected to be the first to start, around May 10-15, according to the Manager of Afruex, Miguel Ángel Gómez. A normal season is expected in terms of both volumes and calibers.
The Committee also addressed the opening of the Chinese market for Spanish cherry exports, which will considerably benefit from the signing of a new protocol that will allow the export of cherries to the Asian country. This protocol was signed by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, Sun Meijun, during the official trip of President Pedro Sánchez, which took place during the second week of April. Following the signing of this protocol, exporters interested in shipping Spanish cherries to China will have to request to be included in a special register soon to be set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, and they will also have to pass a compliance audit, scheduled for late May.
The signing of the protocol for the export of Spanish cherries to China will open up new export opportunities for this fruit, whose cultivation has undergone significant development. Spain's cherry exports in 2024 stood at 39,968 tons, with the EU being the main destination, with 33,440 tons. 6,528 tons were exported to destinations outside the EU, with the United Kingdom as the leading non-EU market, with 5,725 tons, followed by South Africa, with 100 tons, and Hong Kong, with 103 tons. The value of all cherry shipments amounted to 139 million euros, and the EU accounted for 110 million, according to data from the Department of Customs and Special Taxes.
The Fepex Cherry Committee held a hybrid format meeting chaired by José Antonio Tierno, president of the Association of Cooperatives of the Jerte Valley, and attended by companies and heads of associations from the various production areas: Extremadura (Afruex), Catalonia (Afrucat), Aragon (AEAMDE), and Alicante (Fexphal), together with officials from Fepex. The associations Arifrut, from La Rioja, and Apep and Excofrut, from Aragon, are also members of the Committee.
For more information: www.fepex.es