The 2022-23 cherry season started with a negative point: a Chinese New Year 10 days earlier than last year, which left one of the narrowest harvest windows in the history of cherries in Chile. That, added to the logistical problems that had occurred in recent years, due to the pandemic and the extreme restrictions in China, the main destination for Chilean cherries, raised fears that it would once again be a complex campaign.
However, China gradually lifted restrictions, which immediately had a positive impact on both port logistics and the main wholesale fruit markets; this improved even more after January 8, when the Asian country decided to open its doors to foreign travelers, reducing Covid-19 controls to almost zero.
With only a few hours to go before the Chinese New Year (January 22), a date that marks a before and after in the sale of cherries, it is logical to ask: How long will it be after Chinese New Year?
Founder and Director of IQonsulting, Isabel Quiroz, spoke about this in her recent weekly report: “We have a slight rise in prices despite the increase in supply.” The activity was frenetic, I don’t know if you have seen the number of videos circulating on social networks of the rows and rows of trucks waiting to enter the market. The traders hope not to be left with fruit, this week there will be no stock. The only stock that will remain, to sell after the Chinese New Year, will be what comes on the ships that arrive between Friday and Saturday that will not be able to be unloaded this week,” Quiroz said.
The specialist estimates that despite the Chinese New Year coming earlier than in 2022, the amount of cherries remaining after the holiday will be less than last season.
«In a quick calculation of how much will be left, we think that it will be a total of 20 percent of the fruit, which corresponds to about 700 containers that will not be able to be sold this week; of those that arrive this week, they will be left after the Chinese New Year, plus all the fruit that is yet to arrive and making a count that will be only 20 percent of the total.", said Isabel Quiroz.
«This is completely different from what we had last year, of the total fruit that arrived before the Chinese New Year, the stock that remained was 30 percent of that; that added to the containers that arrived after the Chinese New Year was what caused the price to drop so, so sharply and then the lack of interest in consuming a cherry that was bad, that had been stored for a long time, that was mixed with the one that had just arrived, therefore the late suppliers who did arrive with good cherries were greatly affected. recalled the Director and Founder of IQonsulting.
Since Friday, the movement in wholesale markets has drastically decreased, and the panorama shown by the image of the Guangzhou market is the tone of the hours before the Chinese New Year.
«I have a dream that this year we will at least maintain the price, we will not be able to capture the frenzy that there is in the market after the Chinese New Year, because this is bought to celebrate and then the demand goes down, the interest goes down, however we hope that in the face of a fruit that is in better condition, like the one we hope to offer after the Chinese New Year, at least the prices we have at this moment will be maintained (USD 11.25 per kilo – week 2), concluded Isabel Quiroz.
