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Dalian Cherries Debut in Malaysia

April 01, 2021

According to news from China’s General Administration of Customs, cherries grown in Dalian with a value of $4,000 were successfully cleared by Royal Malaysian Customs on March 17, representing the first time that Dalian cherries have been exported to Malaysia. The exporter responsible for this historic shipment was Dalian Tianli Agricultural Development Co. Ltd. (大连天立农业开发有限公司).

As early as 2010, test shipments of Dalian cherries were being sent to overseas markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, owing to a combination of factors, such as inadequate fruit hardness, low sweetness levels, relatively short shelf life and high air freight costs, many companies ultimately abandoned these efforts after a few attempts.

Subsequently, cherry farmers in Dalian have been striving to improve their planting techniques to make the fruit taste better and enhance its resilience to storage and transportation. In July 2017, Dalian cherries made their debut in Hong Kong. At that time, 1,340 kilograms or $17,175 worth of cherries hit the high-end markets in both Hong Kong and Macau. Three years later, Dalian Yidu Group, utilizing unbroken cold chain logistics, successfully sent the first ever sea shipment of Dalian cherries to Hong Kong. The fruit from this shipment reportedly fetched prices of $45–58 per five kilograms on the Hong Kong market.

Owing to the widespread utilization of greenhouse cultivation techniques, Dalian cherries are able to reach the market as early as January and remain in supply until August. Consequently, it has been possible to bring forward the start of the export season to March. This provides a good opportunity for Chinese cherry growers to bridge the gap between the supply season for cherries from the Southern Hemisphere, which is typically drawing to a close in March, and that for cherries from the Northern Hemisphere, which has not yet started.

Image: China’s General Administration of Customs

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.

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