What are the main varieties that arrived during week 2?
«By far the variety with the most openings on a daily basis during this week in the Jiangnan market has been Lapins, accompanied by the latest Santina, and the volume increases of Bing; and towards the end of the week Regina, Skeena and the first Sweetheart«.
What is the general perception regarding the quality of cherries?
«In general, I get the impression that the quality of the fruit is good. The tremendous work that exporters do to deliver a product as perishable and delicate as cherries is recognized, in addition to how the market has come to understand and comprehend that minor defects such as pitting, in such complex processes as these, are normal and the market tolerances are growing around this, something that seems great to me.»
What are your main observations regarding each variety?
«At the beginning of week 2, with a strong presence of the Santina variety, the main comments from importers focused on the sensitivity of the fruit and the rotting on some labels that generated a preference for varieties such as Lapins, which was definitely the one that occupied the majority of the volume with lower prices and fairly stable quality since the first arrivals, although the main comment from buyers has been the color of this variety, which does not reach the mahogany they would like; by mid-week, the Bing volumes were noticeable, with some of the recurring defects of this variety, where the thinner pedicels than other varieties present dehydration, in addition to detachment of this same. By the end of this week, the Regina and Skeena volumes increased noticeably, with some arrivals with condensation in their bags as well as signs of internal browning at initial levels, which makes the sale of this fruit somewhat more difficult.«.
Of these observations, which one has caught your attention the most?
«I think the comment we have heard the most as a quality team this season has been the light color, not only in varieties like Lapins, but also in varieties like Skeena, Santina, Bing and Regina, where the latter are characterized by being a dark mahogany to black color, definitely the color issue has been the most important this season.«.
What can we expect from future arrivals?
«In the years of experience that I have had the chance to live here in the cherry seasons in this market, it is common that after Chinese New Year some of the defects that have been present throughout the season take on a bit more relevance, especially this year that has been an extraordinary year in sales and that minor defects in arrivals go almost unnoticed with the speed and fluidity with which the market works», concluded Nicolás Zamorano, Asia Manager of QC Fruit.
