The 2025-26 cherry season has commenced with Argentine fruits making their inaugural arrival in China, signaling intensified competition within the world’s largest cherry import market. This strategic move positions Argentina as a quality-focused challenger to Chile’s volumetric dominance in the Chinese fresh fruit sector.
Harvested in mid-November, these early-season Argentine cherries are targeting premium supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms ahead of the main Southern Hemisphere shipment wave in December. The timing capitalizes on cherries’ status as coveted Chinese New Year gifts and festive delicacies, creating lucrative pre-holiday demand.
Agustina Quiroga of Buenos Aires-based exporter Extraberries articulated Argentina’s competitive strategy: “Our operational advantage lies in the early production window commencing mid-November, enabling us to deliver precisely what the market demands—optimal size, color, and quality. While we cannot match Chile’s volume, we compete effectively on quality parameters from season commencement through initial fruit vessel arrivals.”
Extraberries leverages specialized cultivation techniques in Chimpay and Rio Negro regions, emphasizing rapid cold chain logistics. The company prioritizes air freight to maintain fruit firmness, color integrity, and sugar levels, creating a comparative advantage over maritime shipments. Quiroga emphasized China’s unique export protocols, noting that shipments prepared for Chinese markets require specific sampling methods and cannot be readily diverted to other destinations like European-bound consignments.
Despite Argentina’s quality-focused approach, Chile maintains overwhelming market dominance with projected 2025-26 exports reaching 131 million boxes (approximately 655,000 metric tons), according to University of Chile agricultural engineer Marcela Molina. Chile’s diversified varieties and extended growing seasons enable prolonged shipping windows, with sea freight operations scaling up through mid-November depending on regional climatic conditions.
The decade-long expansion of Chinese cherry demand catalyzed the creation of the specialized “Cherry Express” maritime service, reducing transit time to 22-23 days direct from Valparaiso and San Antonio ports to Chinese destinations. Originally focused on Hong Kong, the service has expanded to include Nansha, Shanghai, and Tianjin ports to prevent congestion.
Market data from iQfruits indicates robust pricing dynamics, with January wholesale prices peaking at 47.20 yuan/kg ($6.67), significantly higher than the previous year’s 32.10 yuan/kg. This price surge demonstrates how constrained early and mid-season supply generates premium returns, though values typically decline to 26.20 yuan/kg by March as availability increases.
Climate change introduces additional complexity, prompting producers to implement protective orchard covers, relocate plantations to cooler southern regions, and develop low-chill requirement varieties. These adaptations reflect the industry’s commitment to maintaining quality standards amid evolving environmental challenges in competitive global markets.