The Tasmanian export cherry season for 2026 will open with its first market event on Wednesday, 7 January in Hong Kong. The event is intended to mark the start of shipments and provide an overview of the 2025/26 season, including expected volumes and production developments.
Hong Kong remains one of Tasmania's key export destinations for cherries. According to Fruit Growers Tasmania, the market ranked among the top three export destinations last season, receiving 22 per cent of total Tasmanian cherry export volumes. The event will also allow invited guests to sample the first Tasmanian export cherries of the season.
© Fruit Growers Tasmania
Tasmanian cherries are typically marketed as airfreighted fruit, arriving in Asian markets within 72 hours of harvest. Growers generally harvest by hand, cool the fruit to 1–2 degrees Celsius, and pack it shortly after picking. Export consignments usually include a range of sizes, including a share of fruit measuring 34 mm and larger.
The start of the 2025/26 export season is running slightly later than usual due to cooler spring and early summer conditions in Tasmania. Growers note that the delayed timing may align more closely with Lunar New Year demand, as the festival in 2026 also falls later in the calendar than in some previous years.
In the broader Asian market, Tasmanian cherries enter a competitive environment during the festive period, when large volumes of imported fruit are available. Shipped fruit from other origins continues to influence price expectations across the region. Tasmanian growers indicate that their export programs factor in these market conditions when planning volumes and timing.
© Fruit Growers Tasmania
Tasmania remains a relatively small cherry-producing region by global standards, with exports concentrated in a limited number of Asian markets. Hong Kong continues to play a central role in this trade, supported by longstanding commercial relationships between importers and Tasmanian growers.
Growers have indicated that maintaining these relationships is a priority as the new season begins. The 2026 season coincides with the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse, which growers reference as part of the seasonal context in which trade and production decisions are made.
The Hong Kong event marks the first formal market engagement for Tasmanian cherries in 2026, ahead of wider distribution across Asia as the season progresses.
© Fruit Growers TasmaniaFor more information:
Peter Cornish
Fruit Growers Tasmania
Tel: +61 (0) 429 588 481
Email: [email protected]
www.fruitgrowerstas.org.au
