It has been nearly two weeks since the arrival of cherries by air at the end of October. The volume of cherries in various fruit markets has gradually begun to stabilize, a little more than in the early days, but not too much. The total volume is slightly lower than in the same period last year.
In recent years, due to the global pandemic prevention and control measures, air freight has been reduced, resulting in continued high air freight rates. The number of charter flights for Chilean cherries in the last season has been reduced by about 30% - 40%, and the freight rate has nearly doubled. The number of charter flights this year should not be very high, and the freight is estimated to be more expensive than last year.
At present, the air freight cherries arriving in the Chinese market are early-ripening varieties such as ROYAL DAWN, BROOKS and GLEN RED as well as SANTINA but on a smaller scale. The mid-to-late-ripening varieties are mainly exported by sea, Santina, Labins and Regina are expected to have the largest volumes.
Two weeks ago, the asking price for a 5kg package of Chilean air freight cherries was about ¥1,500/box for JJ quality and ¥1,700/box for JJJ quality. Now two weeks have passed, the volume has started to rise, and the price has dropped to ¥800-950/ box for JJ quality, and ¥900-1,100/ box for JJJ quality. When the next chartered flight arrives, the volume will increase greatly, and the price will drop faster.
Recently, a batch of bulk reefer ships has been added to meet the logistical challenges of this year, allowing Chilean cherries to reach the Chinese market faster and more efficiently.
According to sources, a total of 50 shipments of Chilean cherries are planned to be imported into China for the 2022-23 production season, and the number of cargo ships has increased compared with previous years. The first shipment of Chilean cherries by sea is expected to depart on November 16 and will arrive in China in the middle and early December. During this gap of more than 20 days, the air-delivered cherries on the market will usher in the best sales period. After the arrival of the cherries by sea, the price of cherries by air will inevitably drop sharply.
The volume of Chilean cherries has increased this year, and it is forecast that Chile will export about 446,769 tons of cherries this season, a 25% increase in total shipments compared to the previous season. In fact, the supply of Chilean cherries continues to rise every year, and the price is also decreasing year by year, gradually reaching the wider public.
The price of air-delivered cherries on the market is a little lower than in the same period last year, and this year's sales are more than last year, so the average price is probably even lower than last year.
Source: Fresh-China