On October 30, the first Chilean cherries of the season landed in China and the first sea shipment of the red fruit is expected to arrive on December 9.
The first shipment of Chilean cherries for the 2022-23 campaign was sent by air and included early varieties such as Royal Dawn, Brooks and Glen Red; these were distributed in physical stores such as Hema Fresh, Olé and RT-Mart, e-commerce platforms such as Meituan and several traditional wholesale fruit markets.
On the evening of October 30, the cherries were already ready in Chinese supermarkets, waiting to meet consumers the next day.
However, the largest volume of cherries arrives by sea to our main export destination; it was on November 16 when the Seaspan Brightness set sail, the first of the 28 ships that according to Produce Report will transport Chilean cherries to the Asian giant this season; it is expected to dock in Hong Kong on December 9 and arrive in Shenzhen two days later.
The second shipment left Chile on November 23 aboard the HMM Blessing and will call at Hong Kong and Shenzhen on December 16 and 18, respectively. Thereafter, sea cargo arrivals are expected every two to three days for approximately the next month, in the run-up to the Chinese New Year.
Both ships, as well as shipments made until mid-December, should arrive safely before the Chinese New Year (CNY), which in 2023 will be celebrated on January 22, 10 days earlier than in 2022. Remember that during this holiday is when cherries are most sold and consumed.
Undoubtedly, the early CNY is one of the great challenges of the season, as it produces a tighter harvest and shipping schedule than in previous seasons and puts enormous pressure on exporters who hope to reach their destination on time and achieve the highest prices for cherries before this important holiday.
According to data from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), Chile will export a record 89,353,878 standardized 5 kg cartons of fresh cherries this season, equivalent to 446,769 metric tons, which represents an increase of 25% in volume compared to the previous season.
