Chinese cherry hits Vietnamese consumers' sweet spot at $19/kg

Thanh Loan in Ho Chi Minh City recently purchased 2 kilograms of premium Chinese cherries for nearly VND1.2 million.

She found the price tag more attractive than cherries from the U.S. or Australia, which for the same price would get her only one kilogram.

What convinced Loan to choose Chinese cherries was their greenhouse cultivation, using a strictly controlled process without chemical fertilizers or growth stimulants.

Vendors say that Chinese cherry is a new addition to the Vietnamese fruit market. It has the same size as Australian cherries, offering a sweet taste and a crispy bite.

Chinese cherries in Vietnam. Photo acquired by VnExpress

"They are picked at the orchard and transported by air, arriving in Vietnam within one or two days, preserving their freshness," according to Han, a vendor in HCMC.

Due to limited supply, her shop only receives a few dozen crates per shipment.

Phuong, a representative of an import company in HCMC, said her company has bought about 100 crates of these cherries.

"I often advise customers to store them in a refrigerator and consume them within a week since the product contains no preservatives."

A report from Thu Duc Agricultural Wholesale Market indicates that these greenhouse cherries are not yet officially imported due to low production and are mainly brought in via hand-carry.

International data shows that Yantai in Shandong Province was the first region in China to develop greenhouse cherry cultivation.

Cherries there aree sold between CNY45 and CNY55 (US$4.8–7.6).

Another key region is Wafangdian in Dalian, where cherries reached CNY130 earlier this year, the highest in China. China’s cherry cultivation area spans over 1.5 million acres, a 12% increase from last year.

In Shangdong, 50,000 acres are dedicated to greenhouse cherries, yielding 100,000 tons, accounting for 25% of the country’s total cherry production.

Chinese cherry growers have been reporting rapidly rising production costs. In Shandong, constructing one acre of greenhouse costs about 150,000 yuan, up 12% from last year.

The daily wage for fruit pickers has reached CNY200, a 40% increase from 2020.