OK cherries blossom into new markets
Valley’s cherry growers told success in China may lead to expansion into Korea, Japan
Okanagan cherries may soon find markets in South Korea and Japan following their success in China, more than 130 members of the BC Cherry Association heard Thursday at Kelowna’s Ramada Inn during an annual review.
In his presidential address, Suhkpaul Bal spoke of the association’s goal to ensure cherries as one of the premier crops grown in Canada. He also said that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has adopted the association’s market access committee model as the standard for its commodity groups. “We’re doing something right,” he said. Bal was elected by acclamation to another term as association president.
David Geen will continue as vice president and Graem Nelson as secretary.
Erin Carlson is the new treasurer. An experienced broker, Nelson said flavour is the key to success in the international cherry market. “In China the focus is on flavour,” he said. Flavourful cherries are in fact the edge Canadian growers have over their American competitors, according to Nelson.
Geen, who chairs the market access committee, cautioned that the Chinese market should not be taken for granted.
“Our trapping and monitoring programs will be tightened up,” he said
Currently, the Chinese demand exceeds Canadian supply; however, young plantings in China are anticipated to soon increase that country’s production.
Plans to export cherries to Korea “are moving more quickly than we thought with a pilot project possible in 2019,” Geen said.
Initial work is also being done to enter the Japanese market.
Research reports included information on the genetic-based Next Generation Sequencing technique for rapid testing for viruses of imported tree fruit varieties.
Such viruses could elude detection by techniques used in the past.
Gayle Jesperson of the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture reported finding three viruses not previously reported in Canada associated with cherry trees in the Central Okanagan.
GroSpurt, a Canadian company that produces GS-4, a plant growth hormone, gave the association a cheque of $15,760 to assist with its numerous research projects.
The association represents growers, marketers, packers, researches and industry members and sponsors research to grow and deliver top-quality cherries to markets around the world.