Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/31248
Cherries Cherries in CHINA C herries as far as the eye can see, and in a hodgepodge puzzle of different grow- ing practices and varieties is how B.J. Thurlby sums up the cherry production he saw in northern China on a mid-April trip. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, which admin- isters the Northwest Cherry Growers, and Keith Hu, foreign promotion director, spent a whirlwind week in northern China getting an overview of Chinese sweet cherry production. Northwest Cherry Growers is the promotion arm for cherry producers in five states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah). Thurlby and Hu met with some of the country’s larger cherry growers to learn about production, horticultural practices, handling and storage facilities, and potential for future threats to the Northwest cherry’s current strong market position in Asia. Additionally, they met with importers and retailers in several second- Representatives of the Northwest Cherry Growers take a firsthand look at cherry production and wholesale markets in northern China. by Melissa Hansen and B.J. Thurlby tier northern Chinese markets (Yantai, Shenyang, and Tsingtao), as well as with major importers in Shanghai, to formalize marketing strategies for the upcoming Northwest cherry season. What follows are some of the trip’s highlights and impressions from Thurlby’s trip report. Northern China cherry production—Almost all cherries in China are grown in the northern provinces of Shandong and Liaoning, according to a group of industry leaders in Yantai. Their collective wisdom holds that more than 100,000 acres of cherries are planted in this Shandong-Liaon- ing region. Surprisingly, there is a feeling by the growers that there are hundreds of thousands of small cherry growers across northern China, with many tending only an acre or so of cherries. We met with Wang Heping, vice president of the Yantai Cherry Growers Association, who grows about 400 acres of cher- ries, and he led us across many miles of cherry orchards primarily made up of the Red Lantern variety, but along the way we saw Bing, Lambert, Santina, Tieton, Lapins, and numerous unnamed varieties that have been propagated by Chinese growers. Some of the interesting pieces of information that came out of our meetings were: —Many growers produce only 1,000 pounds of fruit per acre, and profitability has become more and more of a challenge over the last five years. Many orchards are being sold to the government for future urban development. —A Chilean firm brought an auto- mated packing line over last year and lost significant money because they could not get enough product to run across the line. One importer familiar with the situation mentioned that the Chileans were disap- pointed to the point that they have no plans to make a similar effort in the future. —Hand labor is the name of the game. In looking at about 5,000 acres of cherries, 24 MAY 15, 2011 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Representatives of Northwest Cherry Growers gather in a Yantai cherry orchard for a group photo: from left to right, Victor Wong, NWCG field representative in northern China; Philander Fan, NWCG representative in Hong Kong and China; Wang Heping, vice president of Yantai Cherry Growers Association; B.J. Thurlby, president of NWCG; Lu Hi Nong, orchard manager; and Keith Hu, foreign promotion director, NWCG. Small empty pesticide containers were often seen in and around the orchards.