Chilean cherries rise concern in China: Price drop and quality issues mark the start of the season

Written and reported by Macarena Bravo 

Chilean cherries arrived in Shanghai in week 42, where approximately two tons of the AG2 variety were sold through digital channels, including TikTok. New arrivals were registered during week 43, along with the first quotes in the open markets. 

Sales moved quickly, reaching an average price of $53.36 per kilo in Guangzhou, representing a 44 percent increase compared to opening prices in 2024. In Shanghai, the average price was $40.89 per kilo, representing a 37 percent increase compared to last year’s opening prices.

However, a report by Decofrut shows that in week 44, interest in Chilean cherries has dropped due to high prices and inconsistencies in the fruit’s quality and condition. 

Manuel José Alcaino, President of Decofrut, explained to FreshFruitPortal.com that the price drop in China is the direct result of a bigger fruit volume.

“We’ve exported 334 percent more than the same week last year,” he stated. “Then, we had 480 tons, while this year, to date, we have 2,083 tons. That obviously has an impact.”

Quality under pressure

For Julio Ruiz-Tagle, Manager for Asia & the Americas at D-Quality Survey, the season started well. However, based on what his company has observed on the ground, he says the Chinese market has indeed been hit with a higher volume, but also with very low-quality fruit. 

“To arrive first, they packed anything—there’s a lot of soft fruit, fruit without a stem, small fruit, etc,” he explained. “We’ve even seen a little rot.”

Ruiz-Tagle Sweet Ariana was presenting problems, but he had harsher words for Nimba, saying the variety is on its way out: “In my opinion, they should eliminate it.” 

From Decofrut, Alcaino acknowledged that there have been some quality issues, but stated that they do not affect all the fruit sent to China. He executive specified Nimba and Royal Down as two of the varieties presenting problems.

On the other hand, he said Black Rock, a relatively new variety, is having a good performance, while Santina, a cherry with one of the most significant market shares, arrived “quite well.”

An agronomic view of Chilean cherries

Walter Masman, a technical agronomic advisor specialized in cherries, explained that part of the problem stems from poorly executed harvests. This is the case of Nimba, “which was harvested with extremely low Brix levels.”

He notes that this variety also presents genetic issues that producers must manage to avoid negative post-harvest expressions. 

Regarding Sweet Ariana, Masman recommends harvesting when the fruit color reaches a level of 3.5. This results in a larger caliber and lower acidity. 

Meanwhile, Santina is making significant gains thanks to the use of covers and tunnels.

What is driving cherry prices

Alcaino said that Chilean cherries have experienced a 32 percent price decrease in the Guangzhou market, while in Shanghai, the drop is only two percent. The executive noted that Black Rock is selling for $40 per kilo.

Ruiz-Tagle says that another factor driving prices is the Lunar New Year, which in 2026 falls on February 17. Chilean cherries have become a gift-giving staple in China, making the festivity a prime selling opportunity for the Latin American fruit.

“The holiday is still months away, so it is not a good time to overload the market,” he says.

The expert says 2Js have been priced at CN¥200, while 3Js have gone for CN¥400 in 2.5-kilo boxes. In the case of XL cherries, prices have reached CN¥150. 

“These are quite low prices, to tell you the truth,” he said.

Make Chilean cherries great again

The last season left a series of lessons for Chilean exporters that the entire industry agrees on: improving fruit quality is critical.

“We learned nothing,” Ruiz-Tagle stressed. “Basically, the desire is again to arrive first, to aim for air prices; everyone was complacent but did not succeed.”

The expert underscored that the industry clearly did not reach an agreement, and the ambition to be the first was ultimately what prevailed, resulting in the arrival of substandard fruit that negatively impacts the industry as a whole.

Despite the drops, Decofrut’s President said Chilean cherries are still selling at a high price: “We are talking about prices of over $20 for the varieties that are not the best, added to the fact that they are small quantities. There’s space to include fruit that is a little more problematic—this is the time to do it.”

For his part, Ruiz-Tagle recommended “getting serious about this,” because the market reacts negatively to high volume. 

“This is another test for us to get to work and market a premium product; otherwise, we will kill the goose that laid the golden eggs,” he said. “Let's unite as an industry so that we all do well.”

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