The Chinese New Year provides a major sales opportunity for Chilean cherries. Although almost a month remains until the Jan. 31 holiday, marketers already predict a prosperous Spring Festival.

Shanghai-based wholesaler Kurt Huang told www.freshfruitportal.com that cherries can expect more stable prices and better sales during the upcoming celebrations.

The Chilean offering may be slightly down compared to last year, Huang said. The Chilean fruit typically sells best, however, and has not shown supply problems.

"Perhaps the quantity is not as much as last year. Currently the quantity of imports in Shanghai is very stable, but they are low in the port of Guangzhou," he said.

"This year the New Year is very early and we hope to build up more supply. Cherries will arrive between Jan. 10 and 20."

In addition to cherries, there are other fruits that also gain popularity during the festival, particularly those from Southeast Asia. Huang said some that perform well include dragonfruit from Vietnam and longan from Thailand.

"These fruits have no substitute, which is different from the case of Australian grapes. The domestic market already has a certain quantity of grapes," he said.

The best-selling local fruits include apples from Xinjiang, oranges from south Yunnan, Jinyan kiwifruit and mandarin oranges.

"Local products and imports complement each other in terms of the season, variety and quality," he said.

The Spring Festival will be celebrated from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.

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