Australian cherries fly to China

 

 

The federal government has announced an agreement to allow air transport of fresh cherries from mainland Australia. Australian cherries have had access to China since 2013 but only Tasmanian cherries could be airlifted due to fruit fly concerns. Cherries from other states were fumigated for shipping by sea which took about 21 days.

 

 

 

Now cherries from mainland Australia can be on Chinese supermarket shelves within 48 to 72 hours of harvesting.

 

 

 

In Victoria, the largest producer of cherries in Australia, the harvest has started and will continue until the end of February. Estimates predict an average production volume for the state of Victoria, and good volumes for Tasmania and the state of South Austalia.