Official data from Chile showed that exports of Chilean cherries have increased significantly in the first few weeks of the 2022/23 production season. The analysis pointed out that this is because the Chinese New Year in 2023 will be earlier, and Chilean cherries producers and exporters are eager to deliver their goods to the Chinese market.

Chilean Agricultural Radio reported on December 6 that as of the 49th week of 2021, the export volume of Chilean cherries was 21,316 tons; and as of the 49th week of 2022, the export volume of Chilean cherries reached 64,023 tons, a substantial increase of 200.35%. Among them, only seaborne cherries increased from 12,331 tons to 52,966 tons, an increase of 330%.

In addition, another feature of this production season is that, as they hope to deliver goods to the Chinese market as soon as possible to catch up with the 2023 Spring Festival selling period and sell at a better price, more operators choose to transport cherries by air, promoting air transport of cherries Volume grew by 24%.

Claudia Soler, manager of the Chile's Asoex Cherries Committee, said, "This season, Asoex has developed a strategy with all the players in the logistics chain to resolve the logistical chain problems that affected last season. We submitted papers to the government, emphasizing the diversification of fruit export ports. We are now seeing, for the first time, fruit departing through Puerto Ventanas.”

Felipe Henríquez, Grand Fruit China's operation manager in Chile, said that this season will be very complicated for cherry producers, which is related to the increase in local production costs, such as inflation rises, prices rise for raw materials, packaging costs, and cold processing services.

Due to the earlier Chinese New Year in 2023, it is expected that between January 15 and 22 next year, a large number of cherries exported in the 51st week of this year will arrive in the Chinese market. This will be the time to get best prices in Chinese market on 2022/23 production season.

Henríquez pointed out that by then China "will receive huge quantities of cherries, larger than last year and earlier than expected, which will require opening up all distribution channels to transfer the fruit, and the task of the importers is to transfer the arrivals as soon as possible to avoid a backlog of stocks after the Chinese New Year.”