Australian cherry exporters have enjoyed a successful season, with shipments up by a third and substantial growth to some key Asian markets. 

Some 3,545 metric tons (MT) of fruit were exported for the eight months until February 2015, representing a 30% year-on-year boost.

The total value of the shipments was AUD$48 million (US$37 million), putting it 23% higher than the same period last campaign.

Cherries from across Australia were exported to 31 countries, with about 90% going to Asia.

Exports were up from Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia this year, with a slight fall from New South Wales.

Cherry Growers Australia (CGA) head Simon Boughey said Australia had the potential to more than double its exports from 3500MT to 7000MT within the next 'five to seven' years, with strong demand across all of Asia, the Middle East and other global markets, and assuming the reopening of the Russian and Vietnamese markets.

"Australia's strength is the proximity to the Asian region and to a range of markets by airfreight, with many bigger growers are gearing up for more exports from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania with its pest-free status allows access to protocol markets later in the Australian season such as China, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand," Boughey said in a release.

Hong Kong was the biggest market, followed by Singapore. Shipments to China grew 114% with 323MT, making it now third largest export market for cherries, ahead of traditional market Taiwan.

South Korea was also a success story in 2014-15 with over 250MT sent from Tasmania compared to 5MT the year before, largely as a result of the tariffs' removal due to the FTA coming into operation and growers expanding orchards to meet the new demand.

The release said the Australian cherry industry was being asked to supply cherries from a number other regions in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria from early November into a number of markets.

It added the sector was working hard to improve market access into those protocol markets via airfreight with the Federal Department of Agriculture and Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIAL), among others, but it said progress was slow.

"We need a more commercial approach to be taken to match the expectations created by the FTAs and to get back into regulated markets that were previously unregulated," the release said.

"CGA has certainly been talking over their ideas with the Federal Government, HIAL and State Governments on how this can be achieved and will continue these discussions but it is the growers who are a key part of this as they head off to a number of trade events and tours over the past few years and are the ambassadors for our industry and having that experience first hand reflects in our growing export culture in the industry."

"It's not only cherries but right across horticulture that this export approach needs to be taken to meet expectations and the potential to meet demand."

The CGA claimed that an additional 1,500MT could have been exported to Thailand, China Taiwan alone if airfreight cargo were permitted to leave from all cherry-growing regions.

"Our industry Biosecurity Management Programme also is leading the way as a framework to ensure this happens from pest free areas, to a systems approach to end point treatments to cater for the range of requirements we face exporting into a range of protocol and non protocol markets," the release said.

Photo: www.shutterstock.com

www.freshfruitportal.com