Customers shop for Chilean cherries at a supermarket in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province on December 31, 2018. Photo: IC

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, sales of the Chilean cherry reached record levels during the 2019-2020 season, thanks to the buying power of its key consumer - China.

Jorge Valenzuela, president of the Federation of Chilean Fruit Producers Fedefruta, said that in the past season 228,548 tons of cherries were exported, 27 percent more than in the 2018-2019 season, reaching a "historical record" and generating revenues of around $1.4 billion.

"We are very proud of our product and the commitment that farmers have to the development of the cherry and its quality," he said.

Valenzuela said that the last Chilean cherry season began in October, with almost 85 percent arriving in China before the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which fell on January 25.

During the weeks when China was hit by the COVID-19 outbreak there was a drop in price, fewer customers and a slowdown in transportation of the fruit from ports to grocery store shelves.

Valenzuela noted that "luckily, it was between 12 and 20 percent of the fruit, so it did not affect a large amount."

Valenzuela said that according to official figures, Chile has planted more than 38,000 hectares of the fruit and total output is expected to reach 600,000 tons in coming years, which "would not be surprising."

As the most exported fruit in Chile, cherries have already surpassed the 1-billion-dollar export mark, a level maintained over the last three seasons and continuing to rise, according to Gonzalo Salinas, market analyst of consulting company iQonsulting.

Commenting that almost 91 percent of Chilean cherries are destined for China, he added that the fruit has adapted to the Chinese market, "paving the way for the growth of further demand."