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Trade corridor · Fresh cherries

Fresh cherries from Chile to China: season, grades, controls and what to put in an RFQ

Sources reviewed: · SeedMatch Group editorial team

Short answer

Chile has exported fresh cherries to China under a bilateral quarantine protocol signed in 2008. Each season, orchards and packhouses must be registered with Chile's agriculture service SAG and appear on the list authorised by China's customs (GACC). Fruit ships roughly from November to February to meet Lunar New Year demand, which falls on 6 February in 2027.

  • China took 91% of Chile's cherry exports, according to Chile's Ministry of Agriculture citing ODEPA (July 2025).
  • Boxes must carry orchard (CSG) and packhouse (CSP) codes in English, and pallets must state "Exported to the People's Republic of China".
  • Fruit must come from fruit-fly-free areas; cold treatment applies to cherries from regulated areas around an outbreak, not to every shipment.
  • The 2025 Cherry Express sea service was advertised at 23 days from San Antonio to Shanghai.

Market research, not SeedMatch inventory: this page summarises public, dated sources. SeedMatch Group does not hold stock or list these cherries for sale; supply is sourced only after a buyer's request is reviewed.

What is confirmed and what to check before shipping

ItemStatusWhat the sources show
Market access for Chilean fresh cherriesConfirmedProtocol on quarantine for cherry and plum exports from Chile to China, recorded in the joint communiqué of 14 April 2008.
Registration and GACC-approved seasonal listConfirmedSAG guideline of 5 October 2026: orchards (CSG) and packhouses (CSP) register with SAG; new participants may export only once GACC authorises the list.
Labels and phytosanitary certificateConfirmedEnglish box labels with species, origin, region/commune, CSG and CSP; SAG issues the certificate after inspection.
Cold treatmentConfirmedRequired for cherries from the 27.2 km regulated area around a fruit-fly outbreak; fruit otherwise must come from fly-free zones.
Current GACC-approved participant list for 2026/27To confirmCheck the current list and any outbreak boundaries with SAG and the importer before contracting.
2026/27 volumes and peak weeksUnknownPeak weeks vary by season; the 2025/26 peak arrivals were reported in weeks 4–5 of 2026.

At a glance

Product
Fresh sweet cherries (Prunus avium)
Origin authority
SAG (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero), Chile
Destination authority
GACC (General Administration of Customs of China)
Season
About November–February; some air shipments from late October
Demand peak
Lunar New Year (6 February 2027)
Transit
Sea: 23 days San Antonio–Shanghai on the 2025 Cherry Express; air for early fruit
Volume reference
626,014 tonnes exported worldwide in 2024/25 (Cherry Committee via Marca Chile); 91% to China

Season and Lunar New Year

Shipping windowPeak stated by a sourceIndicative Chilean cherry shipping window

Frutas de Chile describes Chilean cherries as available from November through February. The first air-freighted fruit of the 2025/26 season reached China in October 2025.

Lunar New Year drives demand: in 2027 it falls on 6 February, so sea fruit for the holiday must leave Chile several weeks earlier. Peak weeks change each season and should be agreed with the exporter, not assumed.

Varieties and calibres

  • Varieties offered by Chilean exporters include Santina, Lapins, Regina, Sweetheart and Kordia, plus Bing and Royal Dawn (exporter product guide, undated). These are examples, not market shares.
  • Chilean Cherry Committee calibres (November 2021 nomenclature) by equatorial diameter: J 26–27.9 mm, 2J 28–29.9 mm, 3J 30–31.9 mm, 4J 32–33.9 mm.
  • Write calibres in millimetres in the contract, because exporter naming can differ.

Packaging

  • Traditional 5 kg boxes and 2.5 kg gift boxes are offered by exporters.
  • Each box carries the English label fields required by SAG; pallets carry "Exported to the People's Republic of China".

Cold chain

  • UC Davis Postharvest recommends −0.5 ± 0.5 °C and 90–95% relative humidity for sweet cherries.
  • Modified-atmosphere liners (generally 3–10% O₂ and 10–15% CO₂) are described as successful; they support quality but do not replace refrigeration or meet any access requirement.
  • Ask for temperature records from packhouse to port and for the reefer set point.

Phytosanitary and import controls

Registration and approval

Orchards and packhouses register in SAG's system; China's customs authorises the seasonal list. Registration alone does not allow export.

Pests of concern

SAG's 2026 guideline lists, among others, Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), codling moth (Cydia pomonella), Frankliniella thrips, Proeulia leaf-rollers, PNRSV and Plum pox virus.

Fruit-fly controls

Fruit must come from fruit-fly-free zones. An outbreak triggers a 27.2 km regulated radius, inside which cherries need protocol cold treatment.

Certificate and labels

SAG inspects and issues the phytosanitary certificate, recording any cold treatment. Labels follow the SAG guideline in English.

Fields to put in a commercial RFQ

Ask every exporter to answer the same fields so offers are comparable.

  • Varieties acceptable, in order of preference.
  • Calibre in millimetres (for example 30–31.9 mm / 3J) and tolerance.
  • Box format (5 kg or 2.5 kg), liner type, pallet configuration.
  • Orchard CSG and packhouse CSP codes, and confirmation they are on the current GACC list.
  • Sea or air, port of discharge, and arrival window relative to Lunar New Year.
  • Weekly volume, number of containers or pallets, and season length.
  • Temperature records, cold treatment if applicable, and certificate copy before departure.
  • Incoterms and payment terms.

Who buys

  • Importers and distributors who receive containers and sell on to wholesale markets; the Cherry Committee's 2024/25 arrival ceremony took place at Guangzhou's Jiangnan wholesale market.
  • Supermarket and e-commerce buyers sourcing directly from exporters, as reported for 2025 retail programmes.
  • Fruit-chain and gift-box buyers serving the Lunar New Year market.

Counter-seasonal options for the China market

Other southern-hemisphere origins ship in the same window as Chile. Check each origin's own China access before buying.

OriginMain windowChina roleNote
ChileNov–Feb91% of Chile's 2024/25 cherry exports went to ChinaThis corridor
AustraliaLate Oct–FebMain destination group with Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, TaiwanCherry Growers Australia (undated)
New ZealandLate Dec–mid FebTaiwan, China and Vietnam lead 2025/26Summerfruit NZ data, May 2026
ArgentinaNov–MarUS and China main destinationsCAPCI calendar

Frequently asked questions

When do Chilean cherries arrive in China?

Chilean cherries ship roughly from November to February, with some air shipments from late October. Arrivals are planned around Lunar New Year, which falls on 6 February 2027.

Do Chilean cherries for China need cold treatment?

Only cherries from the regulated area around a fruit-fly outbreak need protocol cold treatment. Other fruit must come from fruit-fly-free zones.

What must appear on the box?

In English: species, Chile, orchard region and commune, the orchard code (CSG) and packhouse code (CSP). Pallets must say "Exported to the People's Republic of China".

What calibres are used?

J (26–27.9 mm), 2J (28–29.9 mm), 3J (30–31.9 mm) and 4J (32–33.9 mm) under the Cherry Committee nomenclature. State millimetres in the contract.

Does SeedMatch Group sell Chilean cherries?

No. This page is market research. SeedMatch Group runs a buyer-first, human-reviewed request process; programmes are sourced through its parent group's marketplace, Global B2B Group, and buyers and exporters do not contact each other directly.

Planning a programme on this route?

Send a private, specification-led request: fruit, variety, grade, pack, treatment route, arrival window and weekly volume. A sourcing specialist reviews it before any exporter is approached. Free for buyers; managed programmes from USD 250,000.

Send a managed fresh produce RFQ

Fruit and other food commodity programmes run through Global B2B Group, the parent group's buyer-first marketplace. Global B2B Group

Cold storage, ripening rooms and refrigerated logistics infrastructure: ColdMatch Group. coldmatchgroup.com

Related

Sources

Official and industry documents reviewed on 25 October 2026, with their publication dates.

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