China: Decline of US cherries - who will fill the gap in the market?

In recent years it has been a boom time for imported cherries. At the same time, the imported cherry market is highly competitive in China. According to the official website of the AQSIQ, there are currently 9 countries that can export cherries to China: Chile, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, who only began their exports in May this year.

According to Chinese Customs statistics, in 2017 China imported a total of about 102,000 tons of cherries, with an import value of 770 million US dollars. The United States exported 27,000 tons of cherries to China in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 95%. The proportion of the Chinese market has doubled compared to 2016. Among the eight countries that were exporting to China last year, American cherries accounted for 26.5%.

In 2017, both Northwest Cherries and California Cherries ushered in the best season of production, with a production of 240,000 tons and 79,000 tons respectively, and exports to China (including Hong Kong) hit a new record of 27,000 tons and 2,281 tons respectively. The data shows that China is an important exporter of American cherries. However, as China imposes tariffs on cherries, it will inevitably lead to price increases and eventually the loss of some markets.

After the decline of American cherries in China, who will fill the gap in this huge market? On the one hand, the Canadian cherry has always wanted to replace it; on the other hand, there are other rising stars. Uzbekistan amongst them.

Source: iFresh