The Argentine government is to promote cherry exports from the Patagonia region in the UK ahead of the 2007-08 season. The region is the top exporter of cherries in Argentina.
One million kilos of cherries were produced in the 2006-07 season, from November to January, according to Minister for Trade, Tourism and Industry Martin Buzzi, and this is expected to increase by 50 per cent next season, governor of Chubut Mario Das Neves told FPJ.
Cherries made up 6.6 per cent of total fruit exports to the UK in 2006.
A promotional push carried out in the US last year will be mirrored in the UK in 2007. The main markets for Patagonian cherries are the UK, Spain, Holland, the US and South East Asia.
The varieties produced in the Patagonia region include Lapins, Bing, Newstar, Sweet Heart, Stella, Sunburst and Van. Plantings in the region are relatively new - about four or five years year old - and maximum volumes will be reached in the ninth year, according to Buzzi. “Growth will be sustained and we are determined to maintain the quality of the harvest.” Das Neves, pictured, told FPJ: “The government has been working with cherry producers in the last three years to help them meet the requirements of international markets.
“Growers are often small or medium-sized businesses that need support from the government. They don’t have the logistics to take their product to larger international markets, but they do have the right soil, the right climate and labour.
“We sat down with them and asked them what they needed to grow a larger product in the right volumes, and they came up with all the requirements for investment they needed to meet international expectations,” Das Neves added.
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