Cherry suppliers in the Argentinean region of Mendoza are keeping their fingers crossed for a return to normal production volumes this season after a severe frost cut the 2007/08 crop by a drastic 35 per cent.
Local grower-exporters claim that so far the weather has been favourable in Mendoza, with sufficient cooling hours, although no one is ruling out potential climate changes.
“We are preparing for a good crop this year, and the temperatures have certainly not been as low as in 2007,” Francisco Gabrielli of exporter Amigo Fruits told Fruitnet.com.
“However, the plants are only just blooming and there have been some weather reports suggesting low temperatures, so it’s still too early to tell for sure.”
If all goes to plan, the industry expects to ship the first volumes of cherries to Europe during the first or second week of October.
But with the economic downturn taking a firm hold across Europe and the US, one exporter added that the industry will need to regulate supplies if they are to guarantee solid returns.
“It’s going to be a very cautious season in terms of volumes shipped to Europe and the US and very demanding in terms of quality control,” Fernando Güizzo of Güizzo Frutas Frescas explained to Fruitnet.com.
