Chinese stonefruit production increases

Peach and nectarine production in China is forecast up 9 percent to 8.2 million tonnes in MY2006 as a result of significant increases in plantings in 2001-2003. Plantings have continued at a slower pace as prices have fallen, but acreage is still forecast up 3 percent to 715,000 hectares in MY2006. Plum production is forecast up 2 percent to 1.71 MMT in MY2006 on a slight increase in acreage. Apricot production is forecast up 12 percent to 1.25 MMT in MY2006, resulting from increased acreage in the northwestern of Xinjiang province in the early 2000s. Cherry production is forecast up 30 percent to 116,500 MT in MY 2006, due to large increases in plantings in 2000-2002. Marketing channels of stone fruit are limited, when compared with fruits like apples and pears. Because of the inherent transportation problems with the short shelf-life and delicate fruit nature of stone fruit, marketing is mainly in nearby rural or urban areas. In addition, increasingly, stone fruit is processed into juice, paste and preserved/dried fruit. Trading companies are not investing in cold-chain distribution because it is not currently cost-effective. As a result, trade in stone fruit remains low and unlikely to increase in the short-run.