ORANGE’S cherry producers are poised to take advantage of streamlined export routes to China, with the Central West-grown fruit’s export value projected to tip over $5 million in the coming season.
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This season cherries will be flown into China, chopping the turnaround from tree to trolley to just four days and increasing their price in the market to up to $70 per kilogram.
Previously the fruit was transported to China via ship, a voyage which took approximately 20 days.
NSW cherry growers have the advantage of being one of the first states able to harvest in Australia, allowing our growers to be the ‘cherry on top’ in China.
- Minister for Primary Industries and Trade and Industry Niall Blair
Minister for Primary Industries and Trade and Industry Niall Blair announced the change this week from a supermarket in Guangzhou – a city in China’s south with a population of 15 million – where the first air-freighted cherries were ready to be sold.
“Previously, NSW cherries were only shipped via sea [but] with access to new treatment technology, we now expect them to arrive in a matter of days,” Mr Blair said.
“This means better tasting cherries for Chinese consumers and a huge boost for NSW producers.”
NSW cherry exports were worth $6.75 million in the 2017-18 financial year, with the Central West’s orchardists responsible for 70 per cent of the fruit grown in the state.
According to Mr Blair, the new export arrangements could boost the value of exports by more than 10 percent.
“NSW cherry growers have the advantage of being one of the first states able to harvest in Australia, allowing our growers to be the ‘cherry on top’ in China,” he said.
“This news couldn’t come at a better time as producers struggle through one of the worst droughts in 40 years.”
NSW cherry growers already export by air to Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam.
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